Blood Brothers (sequel to Brothers in Arms)
by Jewboy1580
Summary: Weeks after the climactic events which transpired at the end of BiA, the shock waves of aftermath begin to reverberate around the Real World- with deadly implications for some. Old foes emerge, the public grows suspicious, and the FBI steps in to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, back in Aincrad, those who risked all to return soon discover that something is amiss...and wants them dead
1. Chapter 1

Blood Brothers

1

June 3rd, 2025

United States, New York City, New York

"Why don't we start with how you know the 'brothers,' Israel and Jae?"

Scott didn't take his eyes off the young man across from him as he stepped over a pile of empty beer cans and sat down on the end of the dark green sofa. Beside him, Sturgiss glanced quietly about the room, seemingly bored of the interview before it had even begun. In reality, Scott knew that was not the case.

The young man nodded as his fingers nervously redid the man bun his long blue dyed hair was tied into.

"Well, I met them both in Aincrad."

Scott nodded patiently. "Yes, you met them during the SAO Incident. We know that much. Can you be a bit more specific, please? When did you first meet them?"

"Well…" the young man thought it over a moment. "I'd say the first time I ever saw them was probably just before the First Floor Boss raid."

"Boss raid?" Scott asked.

He nodded quickly. "Yes. The game was composed of one hundred different Floors, you see. All but the First Floor were locked off at the start, and could only be accessed by beating the Floor Boss who guarded the way to the next Floor. Each fight against a Floor Boss was called a Boss raid."

"I see. And the aim of the game was to reach the one hundredth floor, correct? That was the only way in which to awaken from your comatose state?"

Another nod. "Yes, that's right."

"Doesn't sound that hard," Sturgiss muttered lazily. His cynical eyes met the young man's. "Considering there were ten thousand of you. How did it take you all two years?"

"Yes, well, most of the players never participated in the Boss raids. They were afraid and usually just stayed in easy areas or the safe zones. So it all came down to those brave enough to fight, to risk their lives for everyone else."

Scott interlaced his hands in his lap. "Like you?"

The young man blinked, obviously taken aback for some reason, then quickly shook his head.

"No, not like me."

Scott frowned in genuine surprise. "But you just said that you met them during a boss raid."

"The very first one," Sturgiss added.

A nod. "I did."

"Did you not end up participating in this raid, then?" Scott asked.

"No, I did."

Scott's eyebrow lifted slightly.

_Now this might be interesting. _

"So even though you helped fight these Floor Bosses," he said as he watched the young man's eyes, "risking your life the whole while, you don't consider yourself brave?"

A fidget, a shameful glance downward. "No."

Scott and Sturgiss exchanged looks.

After a moment, Scott cleared his throat. He wasn't sure where this was going, but it had potential.

"Would it be all right if I asked why, Michael?"

The young man didn't look up as he dipped his head in acquiescence.

"I did start out that way. Brave, I mean. At least I think I did. I had the best intentions. I wanted to help save everyone, do my part to get us all back here to the real world. As time went by though, I became...I became...different."

Scott leaned forward. He felt like he was onto something. "Different how?"

Michael hesitated, his eyes fixed on his boots. "It's difficult to explain."

"Could you try for us?"

A long, steadying breath, followed by a quick nod. "Alright. As time went on, as things happened, I started to become, well, afraid. I almost died a number of times during Boss raids, each time in a way that would have been a horrific end. I think that's what started to change me. I was terrified whenever a Boss raid event drew near, and I always had nightmares about the monsters we faced in the Labyrinths."

He sighed bitterly and ran a hand through the front of his blue hair.

"But I can't just blame it on fear. I became a leader during the early days of the game, in command of players who trusted me and wanted to follow me through the dangers. At first I was honored that they thought so highly of me, and I wanted to do good by them, but as time passed...as time passed my feelings started to change.

"I started...I began to view my position as something I was owed. I started to truly _feel _like I was better than others, more important. I came to believe that I shouldn't have to risk my life in the Labyrinths, that it was beneath me."

His voice grew bitter, and he slowly began shaking his head. "I grew accustomed to living in luxury and safety, telling others what to do. At that point I never went out to fight, to lead the guild who had chosen me to be their leader. I took out money from our treasury to buy elegant clothing and live in even more comfort. To eat the best food, to drink the best wine. I stole that money. It was supposed to be used only for the guild. I slept on silk pillows while members died. And I didn't care. All I ever...all I ever cared about was me. I…"

Michael was quiet for a moment, then looked up. "I know how it sounds, how you must think of me. I think like that too. I've hated myself for how I was ever since the game was cleared. Not a day goes by that I'm not disgusted with myself for all of it, that I don't regret. If I could take it all back, I would, without question. But I can't."

Scott straightened his tie and leaned back in the sofa, keeping his disappointment in check. He had thought for sure that for a moment there he was onto something, but as it turned out, all the man needed was a therapist, not handcuffs.

In spite of his disappointment though, he couldn't help but feel bad for Michael. The impassioned outburst had made it painfully clear just how guilty the young man felt even now, well over a year after the SAO Incident had ended.

He also found it fascinating that a simple game could cause such profound thoughts and feelings from someone, as if it could replicate real life experiences and human change.

_College kids these days. _

He raised a palm. "Thank you for your honesty, Michael, but you don't need to keep going if you don't want to." He waited for the man opposite him to nod meekly, then continued. "Let's get back on topic, shall we? I'll cut right to the heart of it. We've been told by several other SAO Survivors that during the game you were enemies with Israel and Jae- the entire missing group even. Is that true?"

Michael shifted in his seat. "Well, yes, but...but that doesn't mean I would ever have considered killing them! I was a green player for the entire duration of SAO, ask any of the other survivors. I never committed murder, and back then I had a whole guild under my command to do my bidding. If I didn't do it then, there's no way I would do it now."

"We interviewed a few survivors who were part of your organization," Scott said calmly. "Several of them stated that you did, in fact, want the brothers dead, but that you couldn't act on it because you knew you there would be consequences. That you would most likely be imprisoned. Is this true?"

"What was your prison like in that game?" Sturgiss asked curiously. "I'm honestly just fascinated you had something like that. Was it like a dungeon in D&D?"

Michael hesitated, glancing from Scott's face to Sturgiss. "I've never played D&D, but I guess it was a lot like a-"

"Please answer the question, Mr. Lind," Scott interrupted sharply, deliberately using Michael's last name to sound more off putting.

"Uh, sorry." The young man shifted in his seat again, looking more uncomfortable by the moment. He didn't meet Scott's gaze as he answered. "Part of what they say is true. I couldn't go after them, but back then, for a while, I...I did want to find them and have them all put in prison for...for a long time."

His eyes suddenly darted up. "But I told you already, being in that game changed me! It made me a bad person, made me someone I'm not! That's not who I am, and I would never murder them! There was even a time when Jae and I were good friends! Same with Vivienne and Avari. Hell, at one point Avari hated Jae even more than I did."

"We were told as much," Sturgiss admitted as he jotted something down in his notepad.

"So what changed all that?" Scott asked. "What led to the falling out between you and Jae?"

Michael didn't hesitate, and this time, he kept his composure.

"There were several factors, but the main one was that Jae was a better leader than me. He was always fighting on the frontlines, leading the troops, risking his life. He inspired people with his bravery and ability to lead under pressure, and it only took a few months after he joined my guild for rumors to spread that my players were beginning to want him in charge. I grew resentful of him. I had him do several tasks that I thought were impossible, but he always achieved them, winning even more love and support from the guild as a result.

"I knew he didn't want to be the guild leader, and even more than that I knew his integrity and sense of honor would never allow him to take part in a coup, but I still hated him and feared for my position. As time went on and he rose through the ranks, though, I realized that I could just let him take care of all the guild's real problems and goals, use him, so that I could stay safe and live how I wanted to."

"Sounds like you'd fit right in as a politician," Sturgiss quipped.

Scott cleared his throat. "I'm guessing that arrangement eventually fell apart."

Michael nodded.

"It's a pretty complicated story, but the long and short of it is Jae and I eventually butted heads one too many times. It was inevitable.. We argued, he quit the guild in front of me, then left with Avari, Vivienne, and the others. After that things got-"

"What did you argue about?" Scott asked.

Silence for a moment. "His brother. Israel."

"What about him?"

Another pause. Shame began to color Michael's face a second time, the intensity of it bleeding into his sorrowful eyes.

"I…I wanted him arrested and put in prison due to his red player status. Failing that, I told Jae to kill him."

Scott's eyes widened.

Sturgiss let out a low whistle.

"Well," Scott said as he regained his composure, "you certainly aren't alone in your feelings towards Mr. Blanco. I think-"

Michael straightened sharply. "That's not how I feel anymore."

"No?"

The young man's face hardened. "I'm sorry, agent. Think what you want of me, that I'm a coward, a cheat, a traitor to those who believed in me. I won't disagree with you. I am all of those things. For the rest of my life, I will remember my countless failures and hate myself for it."

His gaze took on a sudden edge, and for the first time, Scott saw fire flare to life within them.

"But I tell you now, of all my mistakes, there are none that I regret more than my blind hatred and fear of Jae's brother. I was wrong. Dead wrong.

"Despite whatever you may have heard on the news these past few months, or in interviews with other survivors, the truth is that the Sha- Israel- is a hero. Both of them are. If it weren't for them, far fewer players would have returned to the real world. That is a fact. And one I wish I could have understood when Aincrad was still my home."

Silence.

For a long moment, Scott considered what he had just heard. Michael's tone, which had been so meek and insecure throughout the conversation, had changed completely to one of adamant belief and single mindedness. His expression, a sad mixture of remorse, trauma, and self-loathing, had also changed.

_Could he be this talented at lying? _

He didn't need to ponder the question long.

At last, Scott nodded. "Alright, Mr. Lind. Alright. I apologize for my sarcasm."

The fire in Michael's eyes faded, and within seconds he transformed back into a stooping, nervous, troubled young man.

"It- it's alright."

"One last thing," said Sturgiss. "Do you have any idea what might have happened to the brothers and the rest of their friends? Any notion at all?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't."

"Is there anyone you can think of that might have been motivated enough to hurt them?"

"Besides half the country?" Michael shrugged. "Of course I would say PoH after his escape from prison, but I heard on the news that he's already been ruled out as a suspect."

"PoH?" Scott asked. "You mean Vassago Casals?"

"Sorry, yes."

"He was ruled out," Sturgiss acknowledged with a nod, "because his escape didn't occur until several days after the group had already been declared missing. That he had nothing to do with it is about the only thing we know for sure in all of this."

"Is there anyone else you can think of?" Scott pressed. "Any other enemies out there who would go the extra mile to do them harm?"

Michael leaned back in his chair as he appeared to think it over. After a moment, he again shook his head.

"They had enemies, of course, but no one is in the right place at the right time to be considered. One of PoH's accomplices, Xaxa, would fit the list, but he's Japanese, and last I heard he was in prison there. Unlike PoH, he never managed an escape. There's also Kibaou, but I'm pretty sure he lives in Germany."

"Shinkawa Shouichi and Johann Blattner," Scott replied with a nod. "We know about both of them."

Michael spread his hands apologetically. "I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but there's no one else I can think of from Aincrad that would want to hurt them."

Scott waved an arm. "Don't worry about it. We just wanted to make sure."

He rose to his feet, Sturgiss following suit.

"Well, I think that's everything." He extended a hand over the trash strewn coffee table. "Thank you for speaking so honestly with us, Michael. You've helped us a lot, even if it doesn't seem like it."

The young man took the hand and shook it respectfully. "I hope so."

Reaching into the breast pocket inside his open blazer, Scott retrieved one of his official FBI information cards and handed it to the young man.

"If you think of anything or hear any information that might be useful, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

Michael took the card gingerly, as if it were an important document being left in his care. "Alright, thank you."

Scott stepped carefully over the piles of trash and empty beer cans as he made his way to the door, while behind him, Sturgiss simply waded through.

Just as he reached the worn apartment door, a thought came to Scott, and he glanced back over his shoulder at Michael.

"Just out of curiosity, may I ask you one last question? This isn't part of the interview."

The man nodded immediately. "Of course, go ahead."

"I'm sure you've seen the rumors going around the internet that the game, Sword Art Online, is somehow back up. A good many people seem to believe that the brothers' disappearance is evidence of this- that they've 'gone back into the game.'"

Michael shook his head. "It's impossible. Kayaba had it set up so that when the game was cleared, the whole world would self destruct. I saw it happen. You wouldn't believe the devastation. A few players on the lower Floors even died as a result of all the chaos before they could be logged out- the result of some kind of glitch, I heard. This rumor is just another reddit conspiracy theory."

"Of course, but that wasn't my question." Scott paused, considering how to word it properly. "You don't have to answer this. This is just me trying to understand you and the other SAO Survivors a little better. My question is, would you go back?"

Michael frowned in confusion. "Go back?"

"Assuming for a moment, for the sake of argument, that the reddit users are somehow right. That the game really was back online in it's original state and could somehow be accessed." He gestured at Michael. "Would you go back? Would you want to?"

The young man was quiet for a moment. He looked away from Scott and slowly, very slowly, sat back down in his chair. Finally, he shook his head.

"No. I wouldn't go back. Not for anything. But...not for the reason you think."

Scott released the door knob and turned to face Michael while he waited for more of an answer.

"Aincrad changed me," Michael explained, "in more ways than one. It turned me into someone that the old me from before 2022 would never have recognized." His voice turned somber. "It made me the worst version of myself that I could ever be. I don't know if it was power that got to me, messed with my head, or if it was the stress of trying to survive and fight terrifying monsters, or if it was just the world itself, but I do know that I never want to see that side of me again. Lind died in Aincrad, but if I went back, what if he…." He shook his head. "I would never go back, not for anything."

"Even if going back meant living like a king again?" Sturgiss gestured at the tiny, filthy apartment they were in. "As opposed to this?"

Michael met his gaze with a haunted look. "Not for anything."

…

"So." Resting his arms on the hood of the car, Scott glanced over at Sturgiss on the other side as the latter lit a cigarette. "Thoughts?"

"He didn't murder them." Sturgiss paused to bring the cigarette to his lips and inhale deeply. "He's got problems, sure, even motive, but he's not the type. You see the state of that place? He's too busy feeling like shit and drowning his past in weed and cheap beer. In fact, I'd bet money he'd turn the other way and hide his face if he ever came across the brothers. He hates himself now, not them."

Scott nodded. "My thoughts as well."

He loosened his tie and started drumming his fingers atop the metal hood. "You know what I just don't get? How someone could get so traumatized, so mentally scarred, over actions taken inside a game. I mean, if it was about the people who died, I could understand some PTSD, but he specifically said that that wasn't it."

"And the way they all talk about their 'guilds' and 'prisons' and cities," Sturgiss added. He shook his head as he took another puff. "It's as if they came up with their own version of civilization in there."

"It's all strange," Scott agreed. "But the weirdest part is thinking that some of them might want to go back. Remember the Survivor we talked to last week? And Michael here, he never said he was opposed to the game. His fears were strictly with himself, with how he would behave once inside."

"I noticed that too."

They were quiet for a time. Tied up in his thoughts, Scott considered everything Michael had told them about the brothers and the rest of the missing group. He was adamant that they were heroes while the public called Israel a murderer and Jae his accomplice. From what Scott was learning about them, they certainly seemed like an unusual pair. But he wasn't interested in controversies, or in arguments of morality. He had a job to do, and that was all that mattered.

Scott opened the driver side door and stepped inside. Sturgiss moved to put out the stub of his cigarette, and while he waited for him to get in, Scott took out his phone and thumbed through the pictures of the seven missing people before stopping at the last one, a twin picture of the brothers. By now he knew what they looked like very well, but every now and then he felt the urge to compare their faces to the new knowledge he continued to gain.

Both were young men in their mid twenties, a bit taller than average, fit, and in need of shaving lessons. After that, the similarities ended. The more controversial of the two, Israel, looked like a typical pretty boy; long blonde hair parted in the middle, sharp blue eyes, symmetrical face, square jaw. It was difficult to think of someone who would fit right into an obnoxious tween boy band as a murderer of hundreds.

The other, Jae, was more average featured with short brown hair, light green eyes, and a slightly rounder face, but he was bigger, more muscular, broad shouldered, and had a sterner jaw. He also had the look of a leader, and an intelligent one at that- overall an easier face to consider that of a killer.

And both of them, along with the five others, had vanished without a trace.

He looked into the eyes of the two young men.

_Where the hell are you?_


	2. Chapter 2

2

June 3rd, 2025

Floor 70, Garnet Outskirts

"Now!" Jae shouted, his booming voice reverberating around the garden like thunder.

He planted his feet and brandished his sword-staff, Starfire, in preparation.

To his right and left, Israel and Vivienne charged forward over the ruined, smoking ground. Their contrasting dull steel and shining silver swords gleamed against the sun as they rushed in, neither of them losing their footing or slowing down, both the perfect picture of speed and balance in battle.

With its aggro still trained on Jae, the giant plant monster paid them no mind. Instead it drew up to its full height- a good eight feet at least- opened its long, wilted, disease ridden purple petals, and let out an enraged shriek. Strings of vile green acid saliva flew out of its maw, trailed down the extended petals a moment, then fell to the ground to burn and smoke in the dirt.

Then it barreled towards him at terrifying speed.

Clods of dirt flew into the air as the giant plant hurtled itself forward on countless tendrils, each one ripping and tearing at the earth in order to maintain the massive effort of forward movement. Like a huge machine it churned forth, and as it closed the distance Jae could feel its malice.

Just before it could reach him, Vivienne and Israel leapt in past the swirl of roots and tendrils. Clutching their swords in both hands, they hacked at the monster's thick stem-like body from either side, widening wounds already there and carving open more with each powerful, rapid blow. Dark ichor was flowing freely now down its ruined body, and the giant plant screamed again while recoiling before the onslaught.

Jae quickly checked it's health one last time, noted it's nearly depleted bar, then rushed in to follow up the attack.

Neither Israel nor Vivienne let up in their assault, and both continued to reap terrible damage with their timed blows, but after a few seconds, the plant monster recovered from its initial surprise. Dirt and weeds flew up into the sky as a dozen tentacle-like roots shot forth from the ground to tear apart the threat. Each root was easily ten feet long and thicker than a human arm, but Israel and Vivienne were ready.

Slashing skillfully with their swords, they chopped and hacked at the roots each time they drew close. It took Vivienne two or sometimes even three hits with her shining sword before she could cleave through the bark hide roots, so she was forced to duck and dodge others at the same time. Israel, on the other hand, was stronger and thus capable of severing through each root with a single blow, several times sending out a spray of wooden fragments and splinters each time his common blade bit into its target.

Within seconds, the two talented sword users had blunted the counter attack and severely crippled the plant monster's ability to move.

But it wasn't finished yet.

Just as Vivienne fended off one of the last remaining roots and Israel hacked apart another, the monster shrieked and swooped down on them with a horde of veiny, disease ridden tendrils, each twice as long as the roots had been.

Vivienne darted back nimbly over the ruined earth, and Israel began to lift his sword to block, but just then Jae reached them. Twirling Starfire with focused speed in his hands, he met the attack above their heads, utilizing his superior reach as a shield. Tendril after tendril was ripped open or cut cleanly in two as Starfire's bladed edges scythed easily into the soft, plant-like flesh.

Black ichor began to shower the smoking ground now as Jae sped up the spins and twirls, his hands moving so fast they were all but invisible. While his eyes darted around to find and meet each incoming threat, his feet moved stiffly and with ever increasing caution. He lacked his wife's elegance and perfect balance, and knew that one wrong step into the torn up ground would trip him up and leave them all vulnerable.

With a final effort, the plant monster launched all of it's remaining limbs at them at once, and this time, a few managed to get past Jae's spinning blades. Vivienne chopped one in half, Israel cleaved through a second, but then a third got through and wrapped viciously around his sword arm. In a blink, Vivienne darted underneath Jae's twirling sword staff- just in time to get her hair and armor covered in ichor as it splattered out in all directions- and hacked apart the tendril before it could inflict any real damage.

Israel grunted his thanks, then the two of them had to leap back as more tendrils- many already cut and half severed and oozing black- shot past Jae's defenses and made for them in desperation.

Standing together, the three of them planted their feet and met the final onslaught, their blades flashing in the morning sun with each cut and slash, pitting their combined will against that of the huge abomination before them. Jae noticed Israel's common sword begin to bend and chip, but there was no choice but to keep using it. A moment passed, then another, until finally, the monster staggered back in exhaustion and pain, retracting the countless oozing stubs that had once been its limbs.

"It's nearly down," Vivienne panted. Her simple ponytail, always done up in the same way before a fight, was messy and disordered now, and strands of her auburn hair had fallen into her face. Yet in spite of her obvious weariness, Jae knew she was no less lethal or dangerous.

She started forward. "Let's finish-"

The monster reeled suddenly, drawing itself up to it's full height again. The huge, puss filled petals extended and opened once more, revealing a gaping black maw. This time, however, the monster didn't screech.

"It's going to spit the acid again," Israel warned. "Get ready to dodge to the-"

Before he could finish, Jae switched his grip on Starfire, lifted it up to his chin, and hurled it at the monster like a spear.

His aim proved true, and the bladed staff buried itself deep into the creature's open maw with enough force to knock it back several feet.

The cursed plant emitted a deep choking sound for a brief moment. Green acid belched forth from its maw, bubbled up around Starfire's ashwood shaft, and disappeared again. The creature shuddered in agony, then collapsed to the ground in a great heap.

Then it exploded apart into a thousand pixelated shards.

_Congratulations!_

_You have completed the Quest: The Cursed Garden! _

_Return to the Quest giver to receive your reward!_

Jae swiped the notification out of his vision. "Everyone alright?"

"Just a little winded," Vivienne said as she sheathed her sword and began tucking back loose strands of her ichor covered hair. "And in need of a bath."

Jae glanced to his left. "Alright, Is?"

Israel lifted his arm. His sleeve was torn, and crimson blood oozed from several lacerations around his forearm and elbow where the acid covered tendril had made contact, but his health was still well above the danger zone. He shrugged and smiled.

"I didn't feel a thing. Just wish I could say the same for this garbage sword."

Jae rolled his eyes.

Vivienne bent down and tossed Starfire back to Jae. "You know, I somehow doubt Kayaba would be very happy to learn about your little pain immunity hack."

"Hack?" Israel scoffed as he tossed aside his bent and broken common sword. "I resent that comment."

"So would Kayaba," Jae teased.

With a twirl, he reattached Starfire to the worn metal latches on his back, then opened his menu with a swipe of his hand. Finding what he was looking for, he selected one of the superior health potions Sara had made for them and tossed it to his brother.

Israel caught it instinctively in his steel encased right hand. He popped the cork and took a swig before grinning goodnaturedly.

"Well, what Kayaba doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides-" he waved his bloody arm at them even as the wounds began to bind and close- "it's not like I'm immortal or anything. I'm just as at risk as you two."

"To be honest," said Vivienne, "I'm surprised we came out of it as good as we did. Only one minor injury between us and no healing needed during the fight."

"We did well," Jae agreed with a nod. He smiled at his wife. "Kind of brings one back to the good old days in the HDA, doesn't it? Warming up with a Quest Boss or two before lunch?"

She returned the wistful smile as she stretched. "Always a good start to the day."

Israel shook his head at them.

"You two are crazy."

They both chuckled for a moment, then Jae rose to his feet. "Alright, let's get going. Sara's probably waiting on us."

Israel smiled warmly as he started forward. "Knowing her, she's probably transformed the whole clearing by now."

It was a perfect morning.

The beautiful, virtual Aincrad sun shone bright and clear as they exited the ruined plough fields. The pleasant breeze cooled them, and as they followed the muddy track back to the farmstead, a flock of curious birds chirped away in the pair of juniper trees above.

Further afield, the cows seemed to sense that the danger which had threatened their home was gone, for they began to spread out and roam again, albeit cautiously. Further still stood a large horse pen, within which three beautiful stallions and one mare nipped playfully at each other's tails while taking turns at the water trough.

Beyond the boundaries of the farmstead, Jae could just make out the smoking chimneys and tiled roofs of Garnet, the neighboring town, some distance off.

_We'll need to make another trip with the wagon there soon,_ he thought to himself. _Buy some extra supplies before we end up having to resort to stale oatmeal again._

Jae pushed his plans aside as they rounded the corner to the front of the large cabin and saw the NPC farmer rise up out of his porch chair. Rather than looking joyful at their return, however, the crabby old man merely crossed his arms and sucked on his pipe while watching them approach. They stopped before him.

"Get it done?" he asked indifferently.

Jae nodded. "You don't have to worry about your fields anymore. The monster is dead."

The old man snorted. "As are the fields."

"We kept the fight mostly contained within the south eastern section," Vivienne assured him. "The ground is badly damaged from the acid, it's true, but give it a few weeks and I'm sure it'll be suitable for planting again."

"Any idea where it came from?" Israel asked. "That was just about the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

The old man tapped his upper teeth with his pipe.

"If I knew the answer to that question, I'd be a damned prophet. Or a necromancer. Though if I had to guess, I'd wager it was the work of those ploughing whoresons on the other side of Garnet. Damn peasants have had it out for me ever since I settled down here, the bunch of bastards."

"You think the other farmers planted a _monster_ here?" Jae asked in disbelief.

"Well how in all of Aincrad am I supposed to know?" The old man snapped. He sucked on his pipe for several seconds.

"...Asking me impossible questions and then acting like I'm deranged for trying to give some kind of logical answer. Young people these days."

He blew out the smoke angrily, then rose to his feet.

"I need to get inside and have a lie down. Been a trying day. But before we part ways I suppose I oughtta thank you for helping me. Damned creature would have destroyed my entire field and eaten my livestock for sure. Might've even come after me too. So thank'e."

He turned on his heel and made to step inside, but Jae quickly cleared his throat.

"Um, sir, we're happy to have been of help, but I believe we agreed beforehand on a reward?"

The old man muttered angrily under his breath and started sucking on his pipe again as he turned back around to face them.

"Of course. How could I forget- you were only in it for the money."

"And the herbs," Israel added dryly, his tone giving away his annoyance.

The NPC gazed at him a moment before focusing his attention- and his best poor man persona- on Jae.

"I'll be straight with you, lord. I'm an honest man, I am, but times are tough this part of the year as it is, what with the drought months coming. Even in the best a' seasons. My cows have been fair out of their minds with terror thanks to that damn creature...haven't milked for me in weeks. You understand? And now I'll need to find the coin to resow and replant the field you lot damaged during the fighting-"

Israel crossed his arms and spoke before Jae could get in the first word.

"Alright, sir, if you truly are in need of coin, I'm sure we could come to some understanding. You're an honest man, you said so yourself, so I know how hard it must be on your pride to be unable to pay us what we're due. Let's come to a compromise then, so that we can all sleep better tonight, eh?"

The dodgy old man shifted his weight uncomfortably. "...Compromise?"

A dry, humorless smile appeared on Israel's face as he nodded.

"Yes. For the sake of your honor and our rightfully earned reward, how about we agree to a payment in installments? No more than you can handle of course, and with a goodly amount of time between each new payment in order to keep you on your feet. After a few months, we'll have our full reward, and your honor will be satisfied."

The old man blinked several times, highly suspicious but obviously trying to maintain his facade.

"Well I...I suppose...I don't see why not-"

"Of course we would have to handle the issue of interest over time…"

The wrinkled face suddenly stretched wide, the old man sputtering, "In-interest?"

Israel shrugged helplessly, his face the picture of innocence. "I know, it really is awful, but I'm afraid that, in the interest of legality and fairness, it would have to be done in order to compensate for time wast- spent- completing our business." He turned to Jae and Vivienne with a pleading look. "What do you think, guys? Maybe we can keep the interest rate down to a minimum for our friend?"

"Oh, I don't know," Vivienne said sadly, falling right into the performance. "Surely it would be offensive to treat him as though he were too poor to pay? Such a thing would be in bad taste."

Jae scratched his stubble as if he were thinking it over. "Vivienne is right of course, but at the same time, we mustn't bleed the poor man dry. It's our duty as friends to keep his pride from hurting him." He snapped his fingers. "What say we make it an even twenty percent rate?"

The old man practically choked on his pipe. "Twenty percent?!"

Israel nodded approvingly. "Per installment, I like it. And not just for the Col either, but the herbs as well. I think-"

"Argh, angels curse you all to hell!"

The old man tossed down his pipe and stepped on it angrily as he stormed into his house. "Wait here. I'll get your reward- in full- so you can leave me the hell alone."

"Don't forget the herbs!" Israel shouted cheerily behind him.

A half hour later, following the dirt track made by Retarin and the others back during the final days of Old Aincrad, the three of them stepped out of the patch of forest and into the beautiful clearing in which stood their home. They walked happily, for aside from the joy that always came when returning to their rustic old Farmhouse, they were now a bag of Col and a large satchel of herbs richer.

It was high noon now as they walked the path through the cluster of empty, abandoned log cabins where Retarin and the other ex-HDA players had lived. It saddened Jae that the place which they had worked so hard to build now stood lonely and forlorn, and it saddened him still more that his old friends weren't there to share in the joy of living peacefully in their true homes once again.

_Maybe they'll come back one day. _

It was Sara they saw first upon reaching the Farmhouse. She was kneeling in the dirt before the patio, her black dress hiked up around her knees, her thick, long silver hair tied back into a bun save for several skeins which had fallen back down the sides of her face. She was working at finishing up a section of garden, walling off each plot and raising the dirt into rows as she loosened and mixed it.

As they drew near, it occurred to Jae that she didn't look at all right doing garden work. Though he knew Sara was far from dainty or fragile, her appearance didn't exactly help reinforce the fact. As lovely as she was, with her small, soft hands and petite figure, she appeared completely out of place doing such lowly work. And yet she was doing it, with a smile on her face and the determination only she could muster to do the job well.

Jae grinned in spite of himself.

He was very proud that his brother had such a wife.

Sara looked up and smiled when she saw them- well, Israel mostly, but still.

"Just in time!"

Dropping her gardening tools, she got to her feet and wiped her legs free of dirt before walking over to seize the bundle of herbs from Israel, who held it out happily.

"Did everything go alright?"

"All fine," Vivienne assured her. "The monster turned out to be easier than expected, so we've still got all but one of your superior health potions on us. Want them back?"

Sara waved a hand dismissively while rummaging through the herbs. "Of course not, they're yours for when you need them. What good are potions if they don't get used to keep you all safe?"

"It's all there." Israel gestured inside the bag. "I made sure to get everything on the list."

"Even the henbane?"

"Even the henbane."

Her eyes lit up. "I'm surprised he had it. Henbane is quite the rare herb."

"Oh, he certainly tried to keep from parting with it- and the rest of the reward too," Jae said. "But Israel clearly wasn't in the mood for games today."

Israel held up his hands in surrender as Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "I played nice, don't worry. I just outmaneuvered the greedy old bastard, is all."

Her suspicious frown gave way to a smile, and she couldn't help but continue excitedly examining the bundles of herbs she now had available to plant.

"Well, I'm glad you did."

"Kiss?"

She shrugged, though Jae could see her smile widen instantly. "Well, I suppose you've earned one or two."

Jae cleared his throat. "Before you two get started on that, is Avari in the house, Sara?"

She shook her head and gestured over her shoulder. "She's in the back watering the flowers."

He blinked in disbelief. "Avari? Watering flowers?"

Sara laughed at both his shock and Israel's shameless attempts to pull her in for a kiss in front of them. "Go see for yourself if you don't believe me."

"I most certainly will."

Leaving the two to their romantics, Jae and Vivienne walked past the patio.

"Newlyweds," Vivienne said with an amused eye roll.

Jae nodded. "Tell me about it. We weren't like that on our honeymoon, were we?"

"What honeymoon? All I remember is working in the Labyrinths every day."

He frowned, trying to think back, then dropped his jaw when his memory caught up with him. "You know what? I think you're right. That bastard Lind didn't even give us a weekend off!"

They both laughed, but then Vivienne turned and made for the front door.

"Not coming?" Jae asked.

She pointed at her ichor covered hair. "I need to get cleaned up. You go on and see if you can't catch Avari being cute."

She opened the door and stepped inside, and Jae continued on, rounding the corner and following the man made path leading to the back of the house. Stepping out into the still relatively new flower garden Sara and Vivienne had set up along the back wall, he immediately spotted Avari lovingly watering a patch of bright red tulips.

One was in her hair.

She was humming.

Then she saw him.

She straightened at once and scowled menacingly. "What the hell are you grinning at?"

"Who, me?"

"Do you want a watering can thrown at your head?"

"No, thank you. That doesn't sound pleasant."

"Then wipe that smirk off your face. Better yet, turn around and go away."

"But Avariiiii," he drawled as he walked over. "I just wanted to say good morning. I missed you."

She cocked her head at him. "Did you now? That's ironic."

"Why's that?"

"I'm starting to think you weren't gone long enough."

"What are you up to back here?"

She let out a long, slow sigh. "Sara asked me to water the flowers for her, alright?"

Jae crossed his arms. "Asked you too, huh?"

"Well, she would've now that she's busy setting up the new herb garden out front. I figured I'd help her out a bit. Now get lost so I can concentrate."

"Was that humming I heard?"

"No."

"What's that in your hair?"

Avari's free hand went up instinctively to the tulip tucked behind her ear. Her face went scarlet.

"Not a word of this to the others. Understand?"

Jae nodded solemnly. "Of course, provided you agree to hum that tune one last-"

The watering can came hurtling at him faster than an arrow.

…

An hour or so later, just as Israel and Jae were setting the table for dinner, David and Meifan returned from their blacksmith run in Granzam. Both looked tired, but they quickly perked up when they smelled the lentil soup cooking in the kitchen. David gave Avari a quick kiss in greeting while Meifan unstrapped his gleaming shield, then the two men kicked off their muddy boots and rushed to help dish up the food.

"I think you've done it, Sara," Israel said after swallowing his first bite. He leaned back in his chair and grinned proudly at her. "I think you've finally bested me at my own recipe."

She chuckled and kept eating, visibly pleased at the compliment.

Though Jae had a hard time believing it, Israel had told him that back when he and Sara first met, she was a particularly awful cook. Now here she was, arguably the best chef among them. It seemed that whatever she put her mind to, Sara mastered.

Jae smiled at himself and glanced to his wife beside him.

_Just like Vivienne. We are lucky to have such women. _

"So how'd the quest go?" David asked around a spoonful of soup.

"I hope for your sakes it was more exciting than our day," Meifan added wearily.

Jae nodded. "The Quest Boss wasn't anything to brag about, but it held it's own."

Vivienne leaned in towards Sara. "You know I had to save your fool husband's life today?"

"No I did not." Sara raised an eyebrow at Israel. "He didn't deign to tell me."

Israel sighed and quickly moved to appease his wife.

"The only thing she saved was my arm from getting scratched. If anything, I'd say that sour old quest giver was the real challenge." He brandished his spoon at Vivienne. "And you, I'll remember that next time I need to cover you when you overextend that thrust of yours."

She cocked her head at him. "Me? Overextend?"

"You heard me. Seems to be a habit of yours. Really weakens your guard, you know."

Vivienne's eyes widened. She looked at Jae. "You hearing this?"

He kept his eyes down on his food and quickly took another bite. "I most certainly am not. I'm just here enjoying my delicious-"

"Looks like we need to have ourselves a duel tomorrow morning," Vivienne told Israel with a gleam in her eye.

Israel smiled slyly, propped his elbow up on the table, and placed his head in his hand.

"A duel? But Vivienne, I believe I remember us doing that once before already, during the tournament." He glanced at David. "David, my comrade, my dear friend, would you please remind me who won that duel? I can't quite remember."

David had to clear his throat to suppress his laughter. "I think you did."

Israel spread his hands apologetically at Vivienne. "There you have it."

"Avari," Vivienne turned to her. "Why did I lose that duel?"

Avari, who seemed to be enjoying the banter entirely too much, replied immediately, as if the conversation had been rehearsed. "Because of his pain hack."

Israel blanched. "For the last time, it's not a hack!"

Everyone let out a chuckle.

"So," Meifan said when the uproar subsided. "What was wrong with your quest giver? You said he was being difficult?"

Jae nodded. "Very. First he grumbled about us causing collateral damage to his fields, then he got angry about having to pay up and pretended he was down on his luck. When we finally got him to give the herbs and Col, he cursed and slammed the door in our faces."

He frowned. "You know, now that I think about it, he was acting different from the usual NPC. Even the ones designed to be annoying aren't that bad."

David and Meifan glanced at each other.

"The smith in Granzam was being irritating too," Meifan said. "He took every opportunity to let us know we were bothering him. All we were after was information on how to properly socket those runestones we found into our weapons."

"Was it Oneiron?" Vivienne asked. "Was that the smith's name?"

David and Meifan both nodded.

"I know him," she told them. "I got repairs from him once or twice before meeting up with KoB squads for joint raids. He's always been a royal pain. The only reason people went to him was because he was the sole master smith on Floor Fifty-Five."

Meifan smiled as a look of nostalgia swept over his weathered face.

"Ah yes, I remember those days. You came back to the Keep angry as a storm once after dealing with him. Now I understand why."

Shrugging off the coincidence, they all went back to their meals. More small talk and humorous banter passed between them, with Avari getting the best of it as usual.

After finishing his bowl first, David leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly. He looked to Jae at the head of the table.

"So, we got any plans for the next few days? We've only got a week or so before I want to get started on Avari's birthday preparations."

Avari beamed at him. "You remembered!"

"Of course."

The tall woman pulled him in for a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Rest assured, none of us have forgotten," Jae told her with a grin. He crossed his arms and thought the question over for a moment.

"I've been thinking about getting a few more additions to the Farmhouse actually. A stable, for one."

"Stable?" Vivienne frowned in surprise. "With what materials?"

Jae pointed at the closed front door. "We don't need materials. We've got a dozen empty log cabins out there that could easily house four or five horses apiece. I know a few places in some of the big cities that sell fast mares at a decent price."

Avari slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry Jae, but I don't think I'd feel right about using the others' houses like that."

David nodded his agreement. "Besides, we need to keep in mind that Retarin and the others might yet come back. You said Kayaba gave the address of the facility to a good number of people, remember? It'll take some time, but I bet we're going to start seeing some familiar faces around here before too long."

Jae ran his fingers through his short cropped hair. "I guess you have a point there. Alright, I promise not to use the cabins." He sighed and glanced to Israel. "Looks like we've got some building to do."

Israel scoffed. "I'll pass, thanks."

"What do you mean you'll pass?"

"I had more than my fill of construction work setting up the Farmhouse. That project took weeks and one of my fingers still doesn't work like it used to." He shrugged. "What need do we have for stables anyway? We've got teleport gates in every town and crystals for when we don't."

David tugged at his newly grown facial hair.

"Well, say we ever head out to a place we haven't been to before. We can't teleport to a place where we haven't unlocked it's portal gate, and we can't crystal over either without map information. That leaves travel, and having a horse is much faster than walking."

"Not to mention more comfortable," added Sara.

Israel considered that a moment. "Hmm, I suppose that makes sense." He turned to Jae. "Are we planning on doing some exploring or something?"

Jae quickly dispelled the idea with a wave of his hand. "No, nothing like that. I just thought it would be nice having horses at hand when we need them. I want stables, but it's not really a priority right now. Besides, we have other things we need to finish up first. The new garden for one. We can all pitch in so Sara doesn't have to do everything herself."

"We're also going to need to make a trip into Garnet soon," Avari reminded him. "Supplies around here are starting to get a little thin."

Jae nodded. "I'll head into town tomorrow."

"Want some company?" asked David.

"Sure. We'll get it done faster with two."

A few minutes later, the last of them finished up with their soup and they all moved to clear off the table. Working together, they got the dishes done and put away quickly, and just as they were about to disperse to their rooms for the night, there was a sudden pounding on the door.

Everyone froze and looked instinctively to the windows, but it was now too dark to see anything outside. There was another bang at the door, this one angry and loud.

Confused and apprehensive, Jae slowly approached the door with Israel at his side and everyone else just behind them. After a quick glance behind him to make sure Vivienne could be pushed out of harm's way if necessary, he reached out and twisted the knob. The door opened inward, letting in a wall of darkness from the cloudy night.

There was no one there.

Jae blinked, unsure what to make of the situation. He looked out and glanced to either side of the house, hoping for some flash of a person or their clothing, but saw nothing. He shook his head at Israel, who immediately stepped passed him and out onto the patio.

"Whoever it was, I'll find him."

Sara snagged her husband's sleeve before he could disappear into the darkness. "Israel. Wait."

She pointed at the door, and everyone's eyes followed her.

A small sheet of paper had been crudely hammered into the wood. On it were scribbled five words:

_You're all going to die_


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter 3 is finally here! Sorry for the long wait, it's time to buckle down and really get this story going. **For those who are seeing this story for the first time, I wanna let you know this is a sequel, and I highly recommend you go to my author profile and read the finished Book 1, Brothers in Arms, first**. Things will make a lot more sense, trust me. Plus, some pretty cool shit happens in that one. Also, if anyone's interested in contacting and hanging out with me directly, as well as other fans of Brothers in Arms and this new sequel, I invite you to join my new Discord server, Brothers in Arms (creative I know). Fun perk: Discord members get access to chapters early!

Finally, if you like this story, please Follow and Favorite! You will make this sleep-deprived author's day!

3

June 6th, 2025

Floor 70, Road to Garnet

The wagon creaked wearily as the old wooden wheels sloshed through the thick mud and puddles of filthy water covering the dirt road.

Keeping a grip on the reins, Jae shifted his weight in the driver's seat and, though he tried not to, couldn't help but glance carefully around.

The vast, enclosed fields to the right of the road were empty, save for the herds of pigs and goats that now roamed through the puddles. They ambled along carelessly, their fleeces and skins slowly accumulating mud streaks as they searched for grazing ground. Meanwhile, on Jae's left, where David too was looking, the edges of the forest loomed quietly. Trees swayed slowly with the light updraft of wind coming from the direction of the Farmhouse, and from within their green boughs could be heard the sound of birds and the occasional raging squirrel.

Nothing disturbed the peace. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But Jae couldn't bring himself to relax. He knew, somewhere out there, someone meant his family harm. Worse, they had come right up to the door of their secluded home.

The old horse-which Vivienne and Sara had already named Henry- slowed and let out an annoyed whinny, pulling Jae's attention back to the road. He flicked the reins, silently urging the beast to keep going, but it shook it's head in aggravation and drew up to a stop.

"Damn it all," Jae muttered irritably.

David sighed and stood up beside him to get a look. "Big mud hole. Seems Henry doesn't want to get his hooves wet."

"As if they weren't already." Jae dropped the reins and began to get out. "Old bastard has had mud up to his knees since the moment we hit the road."

"I'll get it," David said with a wave of his hand to urge Jae back. He jumped down off the wagon and into the muddy mess that was the road, then made his way over to the obnoxious animal.

"Of all the horses in Aincrad," the younger man joked as he began petting Henry's muzzle, "you just had to tame the one with an attitude."

Jae rubbed his temples and leaned back in his seat. "Seems perfectly in keeping with my usual luck."

"How many levels in Beast Taming did you get from him anyway?"

Jae snorted. "For him? I was lucky to even unlock the damned skill. Pretty sure I barely hit eight hundred EXP."

"Must've been tamed before, then." David selected something from his menu, and a second later, an apple materialized in his hand. Still stroking the horse's muzzle patiently, he brought it to Henry's mouth. It was gobbled up almost instantly.

"Maybe he belonged to one of Retarin's people," David said thoughtfully. "Why else would he have been in the woods so close to the Farmhouse?"

Jae shrugged. "Whoever he belonged to, seems they had the good sense to dump him off in the forest and get a better ride."

David glanced past the chewing horse and smirked up at him. "Oh come on, he's not that bad. Just a little cranky. In fact, he reminds me of someone else I know."

Rather than wait for Jae to reply, David stopped petting Henry and brought another apple up into his hand. Instead of giving it to the eager horse though, he held it aloft and slowly began to step back through the ankle deep puddle filling the road, caking his travel boots in mud. Henry neighed in annoyance, but reluctantly followed after his retreating snack. The wagon creaked as it started forward again, and in a few moments, Henry had managed to get through to where the muddy road resurfaced again. David gave him the apple with a smile and, after wiping his boots on the spokes of the wheels, climbed back up beside Jae.

With a flick of the reins, Henry the horse set forward again as though he had never stopped.

"Sorry," Jae said with an apologetic smile. "I shouldn't make the day worse just because I'm stressed."

David shook his head. "It's fine. I feel the same as you. I've been so alert and worried, my neck has been killing me since yesterday. Haven't been able to relax at all."

A message notification appeared in Jae's upper left vision. He stopped Henry immediately and tapped it open, his heart rate already beginning to increase as he imagined a panicked message from Vivienne telling him that a stranger had broken into the Farmhouse.

To his annoyance, he saw that it was from Israel. Again.

_Going out to try and get a lead on some tracks again. Let you know if I find anything_

After a quick confirmation reply, Jae closed the message screen and took up the reins again, urging the horse forward.

"Israel?" David asked.

Jae nodded and rubbed his temple with his free hand.

"Guessing by your reaction he hasn't found anything?"

"He's just going out to try tracking the guy again."

David leaned back on his side of the seat, quiet for a moment as he looked out over the wet and muddy fields.

"He must be a better tracker than I gave him credit for if he can actually get anything out of looking at mud."

Jae shook his head. "He just needs something to do. This morning he looked more frustrated than me."

It had been two days ago now since the note had been hammered into their door, and no further threats had followed. No players had been seen, or even NPCs for that matter, anywhere around the Farmhouse or surrounding woods. All seven of them had entered into a state of caution and potential conflict: they stayed together for the most part, didn't venture far from the Farmhouse alone, and even set up a two person sentry in the living room at night, taking turns every three hours.

They could only ignore the dwindling supply problem for so long though, and so, after two days of constant vigilance- and Jae spending hours attempting to tame the horse Israel and Sara brought back after one of their tracking runs- Jae and David had decided to set out on the much needed trip to Garnet for every day goods and supplies.

Jae had no doubts that, had the ground been clear and undisturbed, his brother would have picked up a trail within minutes that first night, even in the dark. With a bit of luck, they might have even caught the bastard before dawn.

As it was, it seemed Aincrad's weather was conspiring with whoever put the threatening note up on their door: not long after, it had begun to rain heavily. It kept up almost the entire next day, and, though Israel still went out and searched the fields and woods for hours amidst the downpour, Jae knew that any tracks there might have been were now long gone, washed away by the storm.

The group had talked hours away during the two day state of vigilance, constantly trying to figure out who might be responsible for putting up the note. The debates had given Jae headaches multiple times. They had quickly come to the conclusion that someone else had obviously returned to Aincrad, someone who knew where they lived and, clearly, had a personal grudge against them...and yet hadn't harmed their helpless bodies in the real word. Instead, this person had opted to lie in one of the high tech hospital beds beside them and strap on the new and improved NerveGear.

The thought of them all lying there...of Vivienne's unconscious body being stared at by one of the many killers of their past...Jae's hands clenched into white knuckled fists around the reins at the thought.

They had reasoned through the list of usual suspects: PoH, Xaxa, Kibaou, Lind, but had come up short on all counts. PoH, they knew, was in prison. Xaxa too, if the last news they had heard before returning to Aincrad about him being thwarted in another VRMMO by none other than Kirito was true.

Kibaou and Lind were possible- both Meifan and Avari were dead set on the culprit being one of them- but Jae didn't think so. Neither man had the courage- or stupidity- to take them on alone.

Besides all that, he didn't understand how this hostile player had found the hidden underground facility to begin with. Rinko and the other doctors certainly wouldn't have let someone in who Kayaba hadn't invited to return, and why would Kayaba extend that invite to someone who clearly wanted Jae and his family dead?

There were no answers anywhere. Only more and more disconcerting questions.

Jae and David were silent for the rest of the trip, with hands close to their weapons and eyes scanning their surroundings all the way to the edge of Garnet.

The small town looked the same as ever; a loose, rough circle of around a hundred wood and thatch houses concentrated around a dozen public buildings that lay on either side of the muddy road as it ran in.

The blacksmith's place was the first of these they rode past upon crossing the threshold into Garnet. The smith, an elderly, bearded man with a limp and a bad right shoulder, nonetheless hammered away at the raw iron on his forge with a stoicism that Jae had always found admirable.

They had no need for the smith today, but Jae still took the time to wave at the tough old NPC as he always did. To his surprise, instead of receiving a gruff, leathery smile and nod in return, he was met with nothing but a cold stare.

Jae slowly lowered his hand and returned his attention to guiding the horse through the muddy narrow street. Henry made it audibly clear he didn't approve of stepping in the water filled grooves made by dozens of other wheeled carts and wagons, but, fortunately, he didn't stop as he had on the road.

They moved on, driving past the ealderman's house- which was the only building made of stone- the logger's hut which smelled of sap and wet wood, and the leather tannery, which Jae and David could have caught a whiff of a mile away (and which Henry snorted in annoyance at several times before continuing). As they headed deeper into town, both Jae and David began to notice other people acting strangely. NPC townsfolk, men and women both, either glared or ignored them completely. The silent unease quickly became thick in the air, and Jae found himself shifting his weight uncomfortably the entire way.

"The people here are acting just like the folks in Granzam," David muttered under his breath as he glanced around.

Jae said nothing. Feeling the tension in his neck growing, he cracked it from to side and tried to keep his attention forward. After a few long moments, the townsfolk seemed to lose interest, for most began returning to what they had been doing before the wagon's arrival.

But Jae couldn't relax. However odd the people of Garnet were behaving, it wasn't anywhere near as important as the unknown player out there somewhere. There was a good chance that, since this person had known their whereabouts, he or she also knew about Garnet. As the only town located anywhere near the Farmhouse, it was probable that the culprit had been through here at some point or other. Maybe even stayed here.

When they finally reached the public goods shop in the center of town, Jae urged the horse to go left into it's muddy stableyard for travelers. A few spaces were full, with two horses and a fettered cart taking up the best spots, but there was still plenty of room to get in comfortably.

"Stay on guard," Jae warned quietly as he hitched up Henry to the horse board. "And keep an eye out for player cursors- of any color."

David nodded as he climbed out of the cart. "Need me to grab anything else while I'm by the coal makers?"

"Maybe a new pane from the glassblower if he's got any." Jae shrugged at his friend. "Might as well get to fixing that window in the attic if we can."

David nodded again and, after smoothly checking to see if his scimitar was loose in it's scabbard, started off out of the yard.

"Meet you in the shop when I'm done."

Once he was confident that Henry and the cart were secure, Jae trudged over to the front door of the shop and scraped his boots free of muck before stepping in. Though fastened low on his back, the top blade of Starfire hit the doorframe, cutting into the wood. Jae cursed quietly and bent down in order to step inside.

A small bell rang above the inside of the door, announcing his presence as the warmth of the central fireplace hit him. Almost immediately, a balding head popped up from behind the counter.

"Oh, greetings Master Jae!"

Jae nodded in surprise, relieved that at least the shopkeeper was acting like his usual self.

"Morning, Erwin. Just in for the usual supplies for the house."

Erwin nodded knowingly. "You must be near out of most things, considering how late you came round this month. I was beginning to worry the storm had kept you rained in, sir." He smiled kindly and gestured around at the aisles and shelves. "Need me to help with anything?"

Jae shook his head. "No thanks, I have a list."

Starting at the front of the shop, Jae quickly began collecting what they needed, from firewood and soap to salt blocks and flour. Upkeep on as big a place as the Farmhouse wasn't so bad, considering how well it had been remade thanks to the help of Retarin, Thinker, Heathcliffe, and so many other good friends. Upkeep for seven people, on the other hand, required quite a lot. These days, Jae had a hard time remembering how in Aincrad he had once managed to feed and home hundreds of HDA members.

_I must be getting old_, he thought with a smile.

After around ten minutes, the bell rang and David entered the shop to help him. Together they finished collecting the armfuls of badly needed everyday goods and brought the pile down on Erwin's counter. The shopkeeper moved quickly, tallying up the items on a piece of parchment while simultaneously wrapping each into a tight, perfectly secured package for the road.

"Any good panes of glass?" Jae asked David as they waited.

David shook his head in irritation. "Said they were out of material, even though I know I saw spare barrels of sand behind the place when I walked up."

"Oh," Erwin said as if taken from his thoughts, "I heard that Tregor and his sons were working on a big commission." He finished neatly packing some dried meat and set to work on the salt block. "Apparently the stained glass roof above the temple of Alara needs some work."

Jae nodded and shrugged to David. "Makes sense."

David didn't look convinced, but didn't fight him on it. "I guess so."

"That'll be one thousand three hundred and twelve Col, all told," Erwin said with a businesslike wring of his hands.

Jae opened his menu and withdrew the amount, plus a small bonus for Erwin's kindness. As soon as he closed the screen, a large bag of Col coins materialized in his hand. He handed it to the shopkeeper.

"Oh please sir," Erwin said in rapid protest, "You do this every time, and each time-"

"And each time you deserve it," Jae replied firmly. "Take it, Erwin."

The thin man shot him a guilty look and rubbed his bald head a few times before finally accepting. "Very well, but next time you come here, I'm discounting the firewood."

Jae smiled. "Fair enough." He glanced at David, who still looked annoyed, then turned back to the NPC as the three of them began gathering the packages. "Erwin, we noticed as we drove in that people were looking...well...a bit different. Uneasy, I guess. Is everything all right in Garnet?"

The man's smile evaporated and was quickly replaced with a saddened, apologetic expression.

"So you noticed, did you? Business is bad, sirs. People are downcast and angry. The rains have been coming in too heavy- not just the other day's mind, but for weeks now- and are harming this summer's crops. Bad time for it, too."

"Why's that?" David asked.

"Economy is suffering. All over the land, it seems. People have stopped buying and selling and visiting Garnet and other towns nearabouts. The inn here is damn near close to bankruptcy. Poor Medrona has been buckling down on her finances, but without patrons, she might have to close the tavern down."

Jae's eyes widened. He glanced over at David, who looked equally surprised.

Was it even possible? Had Kayaba really made a fully functioning world economy that could fluctuate and evolve? The mathematics that would have gone into such a thing were mind boggling to even consider.

Yet if it was true, it explained a great deal. Col prices had seemed higher since their return, and the NPCs certainly weren't looking too happy.

"Is he saying this is because of us?" David asked in a hushed voice so that only he could hear. "Because the players all left?"

Jae hesitated as he thought it over. "If Kayaba truly created a working economy for Aincrad, then it would seem so. Imagine millions of people, working people, people who buy and sell and own businesses, just disappearing from the USA- or any country- in the blink of an eye. The economy would suffer greatly for the ones still left, maybe even collapse for a short time."

"But there were never millions of us," David pointed out. "Only six thousand by the end."

"At most, there's probably only around ten to fifteen thousand NPCs in the world, so just scale down and the effect is similar. Plus, the NPCs weren't directly saving and circulating vast amounts of money like the rich guilds and banks were." Jae shook his head at the complexity of it all. "In the two years that we were here, we players changed the value of Col completely, as well as how it was spent and which cities and towns held the most wealth."

"And so when we all just disappeared…" David paused. "That explains why people were just as gloomy looking down in Granzam. I mean, the entire KoB lived there and promoted blacksmith and armorer businesses. They pretty much turned the whole city into a metalworking industry hub that is now completely unnecessary. Things must be a complete mess there now." He let out a low whistle. "Kayaba really thought this through, huh?"

Jae nodded. "Seems that way. Things probably happened in ways he didn't foresee, like Laughing Coffin, but still. The man's a damn genius."

"So how do we fix the economic crash? I'd rather make these NPCs happy again."

"We don't." Jae reached over to the counter and began piling more packages into his arms. "It'll be slow, but things will eventually sort themselves out. Money will start circulating properly again once the NPCs bounce back. Might take months, but it'll get better. Hopefully more players will start arriving soon to accelerate some regrowth...preferably ones who don't want to kill us."

They had to make a few trips to the cart before everything they had bought was safely tucked away. Just before they left, David pulled Erwin aside and asked to put in an order for a rare item- a red and gold rose shaped necklace with bonuses to Strength and Luck. On top of that, he also requested bundles of ribbons, red lace, and oil lights. He paid in advance, and even added some extra to ensure quick arrival and good quality.

Jae didn't say anything until they were driving the cart out of Garnet and back onto the muddy road.

"I know you wanted to make the the whole town into a festival for Avari's birthday," he said slowly, "but I think, under the present circumstances, it might be best if-"

"Don't worry Jae," David interrupted calmly. "I know. Bit too risky considering the current threat out there. It wouldn't have been my preference, but I'll just decorate the Farmhouse and hold the party there."

Jae smiled over at him. "_We'll _decorate the Farmhouse. Not about to let you do all that work alone."

David hesitated. "That's nice of you, but I-"

"Don't worry," Jae grinned. He nudged the younger man's shoulder knowingly. "I'm one hundred percent sure you'll still get laid at the end of the night. You better do an extra good job, by the way. She'll be expecting some work."

David smirked at him in amusement. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience. Does Vivienne expect bedroom magic on her birthdays?"

Jae cleared his throat and looked forward at the winding road. "As a matter of fact, she does. And not without reason. You might learn a thing or two from me."

For the first time in days, David belted out a laugh. It proved contagious, and soon Jae found himself chuckling as well.

For a moment at least, they had managed to relax.

They arrived back home before dinner and unpacked the supplies with Israel and Meifan's help. Israel had found nothing during his tracking attempt, and looked irritated, but he maintained a calm composure while unloading. When Sara emerged from tending to the flowers in the backyard with Avari, he even smiled.

When all seven of them were ready, they made and ate a simple meal- some meat stew, baked bread, and fresh milk on the side- and, as had been the case yesterday and the day before, didn't do much talking. Vivienne asked about the trip into town, but beyond that, there wasn't much to say. They worked together to clean the dishes, and after David and Avari volunteered for first nighttime watch, the rest of them retired to bed early.

"Everything alright?" Vivienne asked as the two of them undressed for bed.

"Fine as can be expected." Jae unequipped his leather backed jacket, pants, and mud dried boots, but left on his black pants. He turned to her. "Why?"

She gave him a sidelong glance as her own clothes came off save for a blue nightdress that, ordinarily, would have aroused him with its thin fabric and thigh high cutoff.

"You look like something has got you thinking. Something complicated. Am I correct?"

He smiled as he made his way to their small private bathroom. "As always."

"So tell me about it. I might be able to give you a solution to this dilemma."

"There's no solution to this one, I'm afraid." Jae turned on the old fashioned faucet and waited for the water to come. When it did, he cupped some of the ice cold liquid in his hands and splashed it onto his face and neck. "Just something we have to wait out."

When he turned back, she was already sitting in bed, braid undone, brushing her long, thick brown hair.

"A passive approach? That doesn't sound like you at all."

"It's about the world economy." He sat down beside her and leaned back against the headboard. "Sound interesting yet?"

"Not even remotely, but it'll help you to talk about it. Tell me."

Jae rubbed his tired eyes and broke down what he and David had learned from Erwin, along with his own thoughts on how important cities of the past, such as the Town of Beginnings, Granzam, and Castellan Keep might very well end up becoming scarcely populated and poverty stricken places in the future.

Vivienne listened with interest despite her feigned unappreciation of the topic, and quickly added her own suspicions. She countered his theory with the fact that, as time wore on, it was likely at least some semblance of the old player population might return, and if it did, many of the old places would be reinhabited. The world might not end up looking the same as it did before, she pointed out, but it would at least retain its legacy.

"I think you're smarter than me," Jae said with a tired smile as he put out the oil lamp lighting the room next to him.

"Naturally." She set the hairbrush down on her nightstand- right beside her old HDA Officer badge- and settled in under the covers beside him. "I'm a woman."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. "The perfect woman."

"I love you husband."

"And I love you, wife."

She brought her lips gently to his, then turned and faced away from him in order to snuggle closer together. She pulled his arms tighter around her, and Jae felt immediately at peace as he felt her warmth and smelled the scent of her hair.

He closed his eyes, and within moments, began to drift peacefully to sleep in spite of everything.

…

Jae's eyes flew open as he heard movement from the room above- Israel and Sara's room. Vivienne too seemed to come instantly awake, for she tensed suddenly in his arms.

They lay still in the dark, waiting. Rain from outside lashed the walls and roof, pattering loudly against the stained glass window above them.

Perhaps it had been nothing.

But then why so loud and sudden?

Jae was just able to hear a door squeaking open, and then a second later, someone running down the stairs and past their room.

They both sat up and simultaneously equipped their weapons in the dark. Starfire's familiar weight filled Jae's hands, and a small shine could be seen emanating from Vivienne's angelic sword, Dawnbringer, as they threw aside the covers and got to their feet.

Another run- louder this time- started up from above them, again down the stairs.

Jae and Vivienne silently moved to their door, but just before he turned the handle, it swung open of it's own accord with Sara on the other side. She was wearing a thin black nightdress, similar to her usual attire, and her long silver hair was messy and tangled. Her big blue eyes shined off the moonlight coming in from the small stained glass window. In her hands was a rather dangerous looking black potion.

"Israel said he heard something," she said quietly, urgently.

That was all they needed to hear.

Jae and Vivienne followed her out at once, and together the three of them ran through the hallway and out into the dimly lit living room where they quickly locked eyes with David, who was still on watch. The front door was open and dragging against the floor. Water from the rain was already gathering along the carpet.

David quickly closed the distance with them and held up a hand. In it was another yellow note, soggy from the rain.

"Israel came running and made straight for the door," he explained. "Avari went with him. This was on the porch, along with a hammer and a nail. Seems our culprit didn't have time to put it up before Israel came down."

Before Jae could reply, Meifan came running up from the hallway, unarmored but already holding his mace and shield at the ready.

"What's going on?" He asked sharply. "Where's Israel and Avari?"

As if on queue, the two appeared through the front door, both soaking wet. Israel was barefoot and shirtless, skeins of his long blonde hair clinging to his face and neck, all giving him a wild look as he strode in with a purpose. Avari's short black bangs were pushed up over her forehead, probably to keep the wet out of her eyes.

"I need some gear on if I'm going to track him," Israel muttered as he made for the hallway.

Jae raised a hand, stopping him before he could move past.

In an instant, Israel's fierce, cobalt blue eyes were on him.

"Even if this was a perfectly clear night, which it isn't," Jae explained calmly to his angry brother, "the player probably just teleported out, and the rain will wash out the tracks leading here, just as before."

Israel was quiet for a moment, but then reluctantly nodded. Once he was sure his brother was thinking clearly, Jae lifted the note up high for everyone to read.

_Aincrad doesn't belong to you. You will all burn. _

_-M _

In a flash, Vivienne seized Jae's arm. He turned and saw her pale as death as she looked at him with guilt and horror etched onto her beautiful face.

"I know who's here in Aincrad with us," she said shakily. "It's Midnight."


	4. Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: _just a quick reminder to those checking out this story for the first time, this is a sequel story to my completed work, Brothers in Arms, which I highly recommend reading first by going to my profile page. Also, if you like what you read, don't forget to Follow and Favorite!_

4

June 7th, 2025

13-1, Nishi Goken-cho Building, Shinjuku Street, Tokyo, Japan

Midnight eyed the old Japanese doctor carefully, then scanned the interior of the underground facility. The whole place looked to have been constructed out of military grade steel, and was outfitted with metal beams for support, tall steel pillars that reached all the way to the roof some twenty feet above, and powerful, high beam light panels that she suspected were solar powered. There seemed to be doors and hallways everywhere, partially revealing just how huge this place was. In the center of the main chamber they were in, and in fact dominating most of the space, sat a huge computer with no monitor or screen. Colored wires travelled from it, across the floor and into another room with tinted windows.

"As I said before," the elderly doctor- Ishida Takanobu he had said his name was- spoke up politely, "if you have any further questions, I more than happy to answer them. Please, ask away."

His Japanese accent was thick, but he spoke English very well, and with an air of intelligence and education few had.

"You run this place?" Mordran asked.

Midnight shot the ex-wolf pack fighter a glare. They had talked about this before finding the place; as the highest ranked among them, she was to do the talking.

Doctor Ishida smiled and shook his head.

"That honor belongs to Doctor Koujiro Rinko. She is in command of the facility, as well as the new one being established in America as we speak. Hence her absence here."

"Why hide it?" Yuni-Ko, an ex-Scout, asked, her own Japanese accent softly lacing her words. "Why make the place underground?"

Ishida cocked his head at her curiously. "Sore wa meihakuda to omotte imashita-"

"In English, please," Midnight interrupted. "So we can all understand."

The doctor nodded and gave a slight bow. "Apologies. I was merely saying that I thought it obvious why. The government of Japan, to say nothing of all the others, is avidly opposed to anything resembling the world of Aincrad or the SAO Incident. If they were to discover this place, it would be shut down and dismantled immediately."

"And what exactly is this place?" Midnight asked flatly. "Just so we're all clear."

He spread his hands and gestured around. "This is the safe haven of Old Aincrad, the original Sword Art Online. For now, it is the only one, but as I said, Rinko and Kayaba are working on a second, with eventual plans for a dozen in all the major countries of the world. From our secure and self sufficient labs here, you and the other SAO survivors who wish to return may do so safely and without fear."

"And you expect us to believe that this-" Midnight gestured at the huge computer in the center of the room- is Aincrad? The whole world? Exactly as it was before?"

"It is. But whether you believe it or not is up to you and changes nothing. If this seems impossible to you, I can show you the databases and the storage files in meticulous detail, one by one. It would take few weeks, but still." He placed a hand on his hip and smiled. "But I do not think you would have come all this way if you did not believe, yes? I think the real question is, do you really want to go back?"

"Why would you want us to?" Benjamin, their ex-finance officer, asked abruptly. His English accent, usually so smooth, was rougher now as his emotions flared. "You know who we are, who we were, right?"

"Ben," Midnight hissed, "be quiet."

He looked at her. "But it's the truth. There's no way they don't know what we did-"

She took a step forward towards him. "Ben. Stop talking."

"I know perfectly well who you all were." Doctor Ishida straightened. "You were members of the red player guild, Laughing Coffin, during the SAO Incident."

All ten people around Midnight stiffened and glanced down or away in shame. She herself felt her annoyingly pale face redden, though she fought to keep her composure.

After a quiet moment, she crossed her arms and looked back at him. "Well, since we're stuck on the topic now, might as well clear the air and continue with Ben's question. Why do you and your superior, Rinko, want us here? Why send us, of all people, the address?"

He nodded at her. "Good question. The honest answer is that I do not really know. Kayaba is the one who ordered the sending of each and every address. You could say he hand picked you in a way."

"Kayaba is dead," Midnight countered. "Been dead since the day Aincrad ended. Are you saying he was planning to send those letters before that boy hero ran him through? You are aware that he fought us as Commander Heathcliffe, right? He killed some of us himself during the Battle of Brakrun. Yet now he's somehow alive and wants us to come back to his precious world that he's so clearly trying to keep safe?"

Doctor Ishida sighed and took off his glasses to rub them clean. "You seem to like hiding your true thoughts and feelings. Would you have gone to all the trouble of coming here if you, too, did not treasure the world you lost?"

"We spent months of that world in dim, cramped cells," Mordran bit back sharply. "We saw no sunlight, had barely enough room to walk around, and were only fed when the Army guards were in a good mood. Sometimes they would hand us our rations only to take them back and smash them on the floor before us. 'Doing their part to stamp the killer out of us,' they called it. Is that memory something you think we should treasure?"

Mordran stepped towards him aggressively as he continued, but the doctor stood his ground.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to sit in a dark cage all day, every day, with nothing to do but reflect on what brought you there and why? Believing that you'll be there for the rest of your life? Slowly losing your mind?"

Ishida looked him square in the eye. "Do you believe that you did not deserve it?"

Mordran opened his mouth to snap back, but no words came out.

Midnight found herself looking at her boots in silence, her cheeks burning. The others knew she hadn't gone to prison underneath the Black Iron Palace, but they didn't know the real reason why. She wondered how they would react if they did.

"I deserved it," Mordran finally said, his voice quiet. He looked away. "I deserved worse."

Once Mordran broke eye contact with him, Doctor Ishida put his bulky square glasses on again and cleared his throat.

"It seems Kayaba disagrees with you. After all, here you are. At any rate, I am afraid things are more complicated where he is concerned. I can understand the confusion, but the truth is that Kayaba is not really dead- at least, not in the way we would call it death. His body is gone, but his mind remains." He smiled. "For the sake of time, let us just say that he was smart enough to have a few fail safes in place in the event of his death. And, by the same token, he made a fail safe for Sword Art Online, a place he cares more about than anything else in the universe. And he wanted you all to be a part of it once more- if you so choose."

He looked at each of them in turn. "I think Kayaba saw something in each of you." He met Midnight's eyes last. "Especially you, Ms. Dawn."

For the first time in her life, she didn't correct the name.

A few hours later, Midnight and the others found themselves being led to a huge, rectangular room.

They had taken some time to think on everything first, going to a nearby Japanese cafe to discuss the pros and cons- and for Midnight to reprimand the three who had spoken out of turn. There was still so much that she couldn't fathom, but one question in particular had been stuck at the forefront of her thoughts.

Why them?

There were some seventy red players left alive in the real world. Seventy people who had either been in Laughing Coffin or one its vassal guilds. Either way, they had all killed others. Some of them, like her, had killed many. Unlike those who fell in the Battle of Brakrun, or found ways to commit suicide in the prison beneath the Black Iron Palace, seventy had lived through it all, and been found innocent of their crimes back in the real world.

Why, of all the seventy, were she and her ten the only ones given a second chance? What did Kayaba see in them that he didn't see in the others?

Better yet, what gave him the right to pick and choose? And why would he want them back, _really_? After the things they had done…

But such thoughts didn't lead anywhere. Didn't provide any answers.

The truth, Midnight realized, was that even if she did have the answers, it wouldn't make a difference; they were going to accept the invitation.

Aincrad had been many things, including a place that had brought out a side of her she would have never known she had, but it had also become home. It had felt more real than the real world ever did. It had changed her, shaped her, into someone who no longer belonged in a place with rent and tax refunds and forty hour work weeks. Every day spent here was a day spent in a haze...and another day of the occasional death threat within her emails, or wide eyed looks from her mandatory therapist.

She was sick of it all.

She needed to be back home.

And so did her friends- the final remnants of her old unit from Laughing Coffin.

And so it was inevitable that, in spite of the impossibility of it all, the suspicions, and the unanswerable questions, Midnight and her band of ex-red players followed Doctor Ishida through the underground facility and towards their destiny.

It was appropriately quiet as they walked, save for their footfalls echoing off the metallic floor. Yuni-Ko was breathing a little heavily, and Mordran was sweating, but all were silent and moved with conviction.

This was why they had come, after all.

This was why they had gathered, and told no one of the address or the money they had each received.

This was what they wanted.

The elderly doctor opened the huge steel door and flicked a light switch, then gestured for them to go inside.

"This is where your bodies will be kept safe and healthy," he explained as bright beams bathed the place in white glow. "Each hospital bed inside was built on Kayaba's advanced design- they are entirely self sufficient and self running, and bear no risk of faulty shutdown or energy outage thanks to his advanced solar grid installed outside. I would like you all to find a place for yourselves without disturbing those already here, and then, when you are ready, put on your NerveGears. I will handle the rest."

Midnight stepped past him, then paused almost immediately.

The room was more like a vault- it's vastness and size were incredible- and on either side wall was a line of hospital beds attached to a small assemblage of cables and screens. Every bed was neat and made with a blanket and pillow, and with a single NerveGear on each.

But it was the seven people already lying in the beds at the forefront of the massive chamber that gave her pause.

Though each body was still and each face covered by a NerveGear, she recognized several immediately.

She stopped walking at the foot of the Shadow's bed. The others stopped with her.

His body looked thin compared to how she had seen him in Aincrad, but of course that was to be expected. His long, dark blonde hair tumbled out of the NerveGear on his face, giving him away. His open hands were almost as callused as they were in SAO- a permanent reminder of how many he had killed with his sword.

_I knew it. I knew they were here. _

Though old hatred still bubbled up within her at the sight of the man who had killed so many of her friends, Midnight couldn't help but feel some satisfaction in knowing she had been right about the great mystery of the seven missing people. Satisfaction, and humor that the FBI would never guess this in a thousand years.

Mordran stepped up beside her confidentially.

"Maybe...maybe we should do something before we go in. Unplug his feeding tube or, or turn something off-"

"No," Midnight said .

Ben wrung his hands thoughtfully. "Is it safe to go back with him in there, though? When he and his brother find out…"

"No," She repeated. She glanced at them, then at the others to be sure they were all listening. "We didn't come all this way to start killing again, and we certainly aren't going to be allowed to stay if we do something like that. Ishida probably has cameras up all over this place. He's probably listening to us right now, making sure we don't do something stupid.

"Besides, the war is over. We came here to live in our old home again. That's all. As long as the Shadow and his friends leave us alone, we leave them alone. There's more than enough Aincrad out there for both our groups to live far away from each other. Understood?"

The nine men and one woman nodded reluctantly.

Midnight continued on, passing by the traitor Sara who was easily recognized by her black jeans, black sweater, and of course her silver hair. Midnight didn't really harbor any grudge towards the woman- she understood PoH's violent tendencies and unstable character better than most. Frankly, she was shocked the woman hadn't left him far earlier back then.

She then passed the Hero of Floor Twenty-Five, or the Champion of the HDA, or whatever other inflated title he went by. She knew next to nothing about him, save for that he was the Shadow's brother, and so had little interest.

But then she passed by the bed containing his wife, Vivienne, and Midnight stopped in her tracks.

Anger flooded through her- far more than the Shadow made her feel.

Anger, and confusion.

She stared at the NerveGear hiding the woman's pretty face.

_Why? _She thought. "_Why didn't you just kill me? Why did you let me go? _

…

After licking the last of the mashed potatoes from his fingers, Andrei returned to his uncomfortable prison bed, which he fell into as if it were a thousand dollar mattress. Unable to suppress his grin, he laid down with his hands behind his shaved head and closed his eyes.

Now all he had to do was wait.

He wondered which of the guards he would have to kill first.

Raoul? Or maybe the new guy, Johnson? He had a habit of being a bit too alert. Always around, always watching.

"Let's hope it's Raoul," he said aloud to himself. "Piece of shit deserves what's coming to him."

But it wasn't the guards he really cared about hurting, killing. It was Vassago Casals.

Andrei's smile broadened at the thought.

That slimy little fuck probably thought he was home free. Not a care in the world. He was probably halfway across the country by now, but that didn't matter. Andrei and his friends would find him- and before they killed him, he would tell them how to get into his precious video game world.

Andrei still remembered every word Vassago had said about it, every tale he had regaled them with. His memory, photographic by nature, also allowed him to retain exactly how Vassago had looked as he spoke; his pink, badly scarred face lighting with joy, his ruined snake tattoo writhing with the widening, reminiscing smile, and his false, acrylic teeth gleaming against the light of the cell lights.

He never looked happier, or more homesick, than when he had rambled about the video game world in which he had been a king.

"_You can do whatever you want there," _he had said as Andrei and the others listened intently. "_You can go wherever you please. The world is just as big and open as ours. It has cities, towns, forests, mountain ranges, huge caverns, rivers-" _

"_You sound as though you're happy that mad scientist chink tricked you into being stuck inside a game," _Tony had cut in with a chuckle.

"_I am." _Vassago's eyes had taken on a very interesting look then, something Andrei could see meant that this place really was like another world to him. "_I am. That place was so much better than here. Think of living in a countryside where the government just doesn't exist, and with no worry that they'll charge you for anything afterwards. Right and wrong are what you make them. You can feel everything, see everything, smell everything, taste everything just as well there as here- except with no restrictions of any kind. Total freedom."_

"_And you became the boss of the other people stuck in there with you?" _Andrei had asked, watching him carefully. "_You? No offense newbie, but you don't look like much to me. You've been handling yourself well enough your first month in, but a boss? And a boss of killers at that?" _He shook his head. "_I don't think so. I think you're bullshitting us."_

Vassago had smiled at him then, and in that smile, Andrei saw his own cunning, his own patience. To his surprise, the man wasn't afraid of him. "_You don't have to believe me. I can prove it. That couple who visited me the other day? The guy and girl? They-" _

"_Bitch looked tight," _Malik interrupted with a nod of remembrance. "_Pussy probably good as fuck. Don't look like she's had that good dick yet. Bitch was lucky I wasn't out doing work detail in the visitation center when she showed up. I would've shown her real quick, right at the blind spot behind the vendor." _

"_She would've screamed," _Andrei said quietly.

Malik shrugged. "_Don't matter. I would've choked her ass out and kept going. Only takes a minute."_

"_You guys shoulda smelled her seat afterwards like I did," _Isaac chuckled. "_That cunt was sweet as strawberries."_

Tony shrugged indifferently. "_Too old for me." _

Malik looked at Vassago with a suddenly critical eye. "_Can we fuck in this game? I ain't going to a place where I can't fuck a bitch." _

Vassago had gotten irritated. Andrei could see it. He was annoyed, but didn't lose his cool. He remained patient, and answered calmly.

"_Yes, you can fuck in the game. Like I've been saying, this isn't just some video game like you all are thinking of. There's a reason SAO survivors have been committing suicide out there, man. This shit was real. Is real. Like I was saying." _He looked to Andrei. "_The couple who came to see me were part of my army, called Laughing Coffin, in that world. They worked for me, did what I ordered. They were loyal, and still are. They're the ones who told me that the game is still alive somewhere in Japan. Let's help each other break out of here, and when we're free I'll show you a lot of other people who worked for me back then too. They can help us while we travel." _

He looked at Tony. "_You said your brother works in international sex trafficking, right? That's our way out of the country. And once we get into the game, none of our records will ever matter again. The cops won't exist anymore. Prisons won't exist. We'll be more than just off the grid. We'll be off the fucking map. Safe for the rest of our lives." _

"_I don't know, man,_" Isaac replied with a shake of his head. "_Don't matter how good things will be on the other side if we get caught before then, and we would have to travel hundreds of miles to get to Tony's brother. Cops would be on our asses every step of the way."_

"_Like I said, I know some people of mine who would help us. The closest one, Midnight, lives in NYC. I know her address-" _

"_And how exactly," _Andrei had asked skeptically, "_do you plan on us breaking out of here first? You realize that you're in a prison, right?" _

Vassago nodded seriously, confidently, at him. "_I do, and I have a plan. We will all need to do our part, but I believe it will work. If we work together, we can all get out of here and get a second chance at life we would never have here." _

But that had been a lie.

Andrei felt his anger flare briefly at the thought.

As it had turned out, the fucker was cleverer than Andrei had given him credit for. Unpredictable even. He had convinced them all to help him, convinced them all that it would be a group effort, and they had gone along. Andrei had gone along.

A staged brawl in the cafeteria, which escalated into an all out prison war, had been exactly the plan- except of course for the part where Vassago used the distraction to get his own ass out threw a window they had all been working on for weeks while the guards, meanwhile, beat the fuck out of Andrei and the others.

Next thing they knew, the cunt was gone.

That was when Andrei had really buckled down and got to work.

Before Vassago came along, he had seen no point in bothering to escape. He would just be caught again at some point, as had happened twice before a few years back. Why go through all the trouble when you risk death if you fail, or a different prison cell as some point down the line if you succeed? Besides, he was lucky that he had been caught on lighter offenses compared to some of the things he had done in his life. His record looked bad- multiple counts of first degree murder- but the reality was worse. Far worse. And they had never found out. If he got caught again, the full truth might come out.

But Vassago had told them all about his life inside the special game world during the SAO Incident they had all heard about. He had told them about a place where they could be free to do the things that had gotten them locked up in the first place, a place where no one would ever find them, where their records didn't matter.

Andrei wanted that place.

And, of course, he wanted to carve out Vassago's eyes and drill a NerveGear into his head for his little betrayal.

And when Andrei wanted something, he got it.

BOOM.

The distant explosion shook the entire prison like a thunderclap.

The cinderblock walls of Andrei's cell shuddered under the strain, and his attached cot vibrated madly.

The smell of smoke and fire and charred flesh quickly crept in through the single tiny air vent in the back of the cell, and Andrei inhaled slowly, deeply, to breath it all in.

He wondered halfheartedly how many people had been in the kitchen quarters.

_Oh well. _

Still laying snugly on his cot, still with his eyes closed, Andrei listened as guards ran past the bars of his cell. Not one suspected him.

Why would they? After all, it would have been incredibly stupid for an inmate to go through all the trouble of creating a handmade explosive from tiny bits of material smuggled in over the course of weeks- and paid for with priceless food rations and cigarettes- only to be sealed away in his cell at the time of detonation.

Andrei waited until he counted four pairs of feet run by, then calmly opened his eyes and rose to his feet.

He walked over to his cell door as distant screams of mortal agony began filtering in through the vent like music to his ears. He looked casually through the bars to either side, catching the attention of Tony and Malik in two cells opposite him, then procured the crude, handmade key from an invisible pocket he had sewn within the seams of his jumpsuit.

He had crafted it during his hours working at the UNICOR workshop, and it had been difficult to make, but only because of the constant guard oversight and supervision he had had to avoid. He had only seen the real keys used to open and close cell doors once, but that had been enough.

Without hesitation, he fit the key into the lock, turned it, and opened the cell door.

He grinned to himself.

_Sometimes photographic memory has its perks. Who knew. _

The alarm sounded immediately, but Andrei knew exactly what to do. He spent exactly thirty seconds freeing Tony, Malik, and, further down the line towards the end of the cellblock, Isaac. All three were armed with tiny shivs they had made out of screwdrivers, toothbrushes, and a file and rasp.

They made for the cell block door with Andrei leading the way. He reached out with the key to open it, but at that moment, it opened of it's own accord as Johnson stepped inside.

The young man froze in shock for a millisecond as he saw them all there right in front of him. Then he reached for the gun at his belt.

Andrei knew he would never get to it in time.

_Had a feeling it was gonna be him._

AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ join my Brothers in Arms discord guys! Every member helps grow this wannabe published author's community and makes me happier than you could know. Plus I love talking to you all! __ /qEWfdJG_


	5. Chapter 5

5

June 8th, 2025

Floor 70, Farmhouse

Irritated, Sara knelt down in the soft earth without bothering to hike her black dress up over her knees.

She examined the hornwood plants first, here and there picking off a worm or caterpillar resting atop the leaves, before carefully watering the mound of dirt around its thin stalk. Then she moved on to the titan arums and did the same, but not before picking several of the crescent shaped leaves and placing them into her herb basket. Though she didn't know which potion she would be making today, titan arums tended to be an ingredient in most, and she was nearly out of them.

She repeated the process down the entire length of her rapidly growing garden, silently encouraging the dozens of rare plants to continue thriving as she cared for them. She picked controlled amounts of arenarius, crow's eye, and veniri- all useful elements of nearly every potion- and laid them side by side in her basket. There were a few other herbs she was running short on, but many of these were yet too small and delicate to harvest. They would need more time.

_Almost there though, _she thought with a small smile. A few weeks more, and her modest garden nestled along the front wall of the Farmhouse would explode with life, and she would have immediate and easy access to nearly all of the rare and valuable herbs she had once been forced to search far and wide for.

A slight breeze picked up, tussling Sara's silver hair. She stood and hooked the loose skeins back behind her ears, then patted her legs off and shook the dirt from her black satin dress.

The light wind carried with it the smell of juniper and pine from the forest beyond the clearing, immediately reminding her of Israel and dispelling her brief good mood.

She considered messaging him to let him know she was growing angry, but decided against it and opened her menu to select Vivienne's name from her friend's list instead.

_Are you with Israel and Jae? _

She didn't have to wait more than a moment for a response notification to pop up in the corner of her vision.

_No. Meifan and I are clearing the mobs out of the south side of the woods. Don't worry sister, they'll be back soon._

Sara closed the message, not bothering to tell Vivienne that she wasn't asking because she was worried. She knew the two brothers would be just fine together.

After a moment, she couldn't help but think about the fact that Vivienne had gone off with Meifan to take the mobs out now, of all times. The monsters had been multiplying on the edges of the woods to the point where they were beginning to spill out into the clearing it was true, but still.

Sara reopened her menu.

_You know Jae's not angry with you about Midnight, right?_

This time, the reply took awhile longer.

_I know. I'm angry at myself_

With a sigh, Sara closed her message screen, put the water bucket away, and bent down to retrieve her front door opened a few feet away and Avari emerged, wearing a dull colored travel jerkin and pants. Her huge two handed greatsword remained sheathed at her back, ready for instant use. Her black hair, though still short and sporting the wave of bangs covering her forehead, was slowly beginning to grow longer.

"Need any help out here?"

Sara shook her head and lifted her basket slightly. "Just finished. It's tough work, but I think the garden is coming along quite well."

Avari hesitated, and Sara could see her disappointment. She was probably just looking for something to do to pass the time, same as her.

"...I was about to go check the flower garden in the back," Sara quickly added. She shrugged. "If you feel like helping."

Avari smiled and nodded. "Not a problem."

Sara left her herb basket at the door and walked up beside Avari, the two of them making their way around the quiet Farmhouse. Another breeze picked up as they walked, pushing them forward and sending Sara's mass of silver hair billowing out in front of her.

"I don't know how you stand it," Avari muttered as she pushed her bangs back out of her face. "I've let mine grow out only a few weeks longer than usual and already it's irritating me."

Sara smiled while swiping her hair back. "I guess I'm just used to it after all these years."

"Wouldn't cut it?"

"No, I don't think so. I like my hair as it is."

Avari shot her a mischievous smile. "And so does Israel, yes?"

Sara chuckled. "Oh yes, he never fails to tell me how much he loves it. But it's not about him. If I wanted to change the style or cut it, I would."

The taller woman nodded seriously. "Good. That is as it should be."

"And what about you?" Sara gestured at Avari's growing bangs. "Is there a reason you've been letting it grow out?"

"Yes, a very good one: laziness."

They both laughed.

"I do need to cut it soon though, before it starts looking different." Avari's cheeks reddened a little, and she glanced down at her boots. "David loves my hair the way it's always been, too. I know he'd be fine with a change if I wanted it, but I like knowing he finds it attractive. Most men prefer longer hair."

Sara scoffed. "That boy is obsessed with everything about you. You could shave your head bald and he'd find it attractive."

Avari's embarrassed smile widened. "Very true."

The moment they turned the corner, Sara's nostrils filled with the wonderful, aromatic scents of dozens of vibrant flowers.

The white gardenia's were in full bloom, as were the purple jasmine's and lilacs. The hyacinths and tuberoses were still young, but even they were beginning to give off a sweet, springlike scent. The whole flower bed was alive with rich colors and beautiful shapes.

Sara loved it.

And Avari, the tall, powerfully built warrior woman with the massive sword, loved it even more.

They each took a water bucket stacked up against the Farmhouse wall and stepped onto the elegant stone walkway David, Avari, and Jae had built during the first week back in Aincrad. The walkway, which began in front of the huge flower bed, winded along the whole length of the back wall before disappearing around the corner, where it stopped abruptly.

Jae intended for it to extend all the way around to the porch and front door, but shaped stone was in short supply on Floor 70, and would have to either be mined from one of the quarries outside Granzam on Floor 55 or ordered through the merchant in Garnet if they wanted to finish the path.

As they watered the flowers, Sara eyed Avari. The woman looked happy, as she always did when back here, but it was easy to see that she was also in deep and serious thought. Her earlier banter about hair had probably just been a moment of forgetfulness.

Sara had a feeling she knew what was on her mind.

"So," she said, trying to speak of something happier. "Your birthday is the day after tomorrow now, right? What do you think David's gotten for you?"

Avari paused in her watering. "Hopefully nothing. I don't want him out searching for something pretty for me while Midnight and probably other red players are out there stalking us. We need to stay focused on finding her next time she shows up here. I'll take that as my birthday present any day."

Sara nodded but didn't reply. After a moment, she cleared her throat.

_Might as well cut to the heart of it. _

"Have you decided to let Vivienne explain why-"

"I told you already, I'm not talking to Vivienne about it."

"You're not talking to her at all."

"So?"

Sara sighed. "Avari, that's just not fair. So she let a red player go during the Battle of Brakrun, so what? Need I remind you that I'm guilty of far worse? I was a member of Laughing Coffin, remember? Not to mention the lover of PoH himself-"

Avari shook her head. "That's different, Sara. You were always good inside. You thought you were doing something completely different than what Laughing Coffin stood for. Vivienne let an evil person go. An evil person firmly rooted to the red player cause, firmly rooted to killing others. Taking her prisoner would have been one thing, but just letting her go? And not telling any of us about it? Lying about killing her?" Avari cut through the air between them with a hand. "No. That was wrong, and Vivienne knows it. She put people at risk back then, and now we have to deal with it again."

"She only did that because-"

"Sara, please." Avari looked at her with a pleading expression. "Please. I don't want to talk about it, alright? I just want to enjoy the flowers."

Sara sighed. "Alright."

They spent the rest of the time around the flower bed in silence, gently watering and tending to the flowers. It didn't take long for Avari to look content again, but Sara could no longer focus on the aromas.

She had already been frustrated with Israel, and now this.

When they finished, Sara retrieved her herb basket and went inside. She made her way to the kitchen and descended down the stairs into the spacious cellar, which she and Israel had long ago turned into her own potion making lab.

Stepping around her large black cauldron hanging above the firepit in the middle of the cellar, Sara took a moment to select some of her tools from the old shelves built into the wall. When she went to grab her mortar and pestle, however, it wasn't there. Immediately, her mood soured still further.

_Why wouldn't it be here? I always put it away. Always. Why isn't the damn thing where I left it? _

She examined the other shelves, all filled with potion making tools and instruments, but found no trace of it. Finally, she threw up her hands in irritation.

"Looks like I'll just have to grind the herbs by hand, then," she muttered under her breath as she sat down at the wooden table next to the cauldron.

She rapped her knuckles on the edge of the table for a moment, thinking of what potion she should make. Then she stopped and opened her close friend's list, selecting her husband's name.

_Planning on ever coming back? Or maybe letting your wife know where you are? _

Her finger hovered over the send button for a brief second before she stopped herself and erased the message.

_Is everything all right? Let me know you're safe_

She sent the message, and waited.

It was hot and stuffy inside the lab, so she stood up and opened the window grate directly above her. The outside breeze, still going strong, quickly filled the room with fresh air but did little for the heat.

Sara opened her inventory and drank some water before sitting back down.

She waited a good five minutes, but still no answer came.

She checked his and Jae's position on the map to make sure they were all right. They were.

Irritated, Sara cracked her knuckles and decided to get to work.

She grabbed the old, leatherbound _Potions Mastery _book- the one Israel had found for her- from its position in the center of the table, and began flipping through pages. Many of the potion recipes she had already concocted, or learned how to make. There were potions of regeneration, slowing, blinding, poison, DoT, splash damage, stunning, and many, many more. But Sara wasn't interested in any of those.

They were easy, or just plain boring. She wanted to spend her time doing something new. Something that would actually make her think.

As she skimmed through the pages, Sara thought of Midnight.

She remembered the woman from her days as the Potion Master of Laughing Coffin; the pale skin, jet black hair, and the skill with an estoc due to being a pupil of Xaxa.

She could recall the initial jealousy that Midnight had shown upon discovering that PoH and Sara were together, closely followed by the lack of care.

At the time, it had been baffling trying to understand why Midnight had so quickly given up on trying to win a position at PoH's side, but in retrospect, Sara wasn't surprised. Midnight had probably come to see PoH's unpredictable nature, his ability to go from kind and pleasant to utterly bloodthirsty in the blink of an eye. The woman had always been clever, always observant. She had a knack for patience and obtaining information over time, which made her a valued officer to PoH. That quiet observation had probably led to Midnight distancing herself from the dangerous temperament of PoH and instead focusing on advancement at her own pace.

Sara frowned. Now that she thought about it, it didn't seem quite Midnight's style to go the dramatic route and post threatening messages on their door in the dead of night, giving away the element of surprise.

_If she's that confident, she must have a large number of red players supporting her. But then why not just attack the Farmhouse as soon as they discovered it? Why tip us off? _

There had to be a good reason- Sara knew better than to underestimate an enemy. Aside from her quiet intelligence and calculative mind, Midnight was also quite skilled in combat thanks to Xaxa's training, which made her a dangerous enemy for them to have.

She was no match for Israel or Jae, of that Sara was certain, but the others…

Not eager to think on such things, she returned her attention to the book before her.

She flipped through the worn, leathery pages quicker, ignoring a few dozen recipes- she already had them completely memorized. Eventually she reached the second half of the book and kept going, halfheartedly waiting for some recipe to jump out at her.

Then Sara noticed that she couldn't read the words she was seeing.

She stopped skimming the pages and examined the one she was on. In the top right corner of the page was a drawing of a herb she had never seen before. She glanced at the words and was surprised to see that they were in a language she had never seen either.

Sara squinted at the words, trying to figure out what language they might be, but the jumbles of letters and symbols was completely alien.

She flipped the page and looked at the next recipe. It too was written in indecipherable jargon.

Now more than a little confused, Sara started going through the book more carefully to figure out where the recipes she understood ended and the ones she didn't began. When she reached about the halfway point, she stopped. Right where the alien language took over the recipes, a small, torn, and very faded yellow note fell from where it had been held between pages.

Sara picked it up and squinted to read the worn letters.

_Herein is written the truly powerful secrets of alchemical processes. Only the wisest may know of these hidden and guarded things. If you be an alchemist true of heart, seek the Ruins of Yoghur, and speak to Potion Grandmaster Igion for the Inscription Tablet. _

As soon as Sara finished reading the curious note, a Silver Quest screen appeared in her vision.

_Would you like to accept the Silver Quest, Powerful Potions? _

_Yes/No_

Intrigued, Sara hesitated for only a second before selecting Yes. She didn't know much about Silver Quests, but had heard that they were either rare or difficult at some point years ago. Though she knew very little about this surprise quest, she certainly wasn't going to pass up on what sounded like access to a tier of new potions beyond even what she had done so far.

Still, this was hardly the time to go out questing, so Sara simply turned off her active quests and let 'Powerful Potions' be. If she ever got the time to go out again without fear of enemy players, she could simply go back into her quest log and make it active again.

She closed the ancient book, wondering if she would ever be able to read the strange language.

Then she remembered Israel.

He still hadn't replied. After all this time.

Sara stood up. She was at the end of her patience and now had nothing she could do to keep herself busy.

It was time to give him a piece of her mind.

She strode out of the cellar and straight to her and Israel's room, grabbed her potion satchel and a good pair of black leather travelling boots, and headed for the front door.

Avari, who was eating lunch at the table with David, glanced up at her.

"I know that look. Israel in trouble?"

"Oh yes," Sara said as she strode past.

David got up from his chair. "Safer not to go alone right now, Sara. We agreed pairs. I'll come-"

"I won't be going far, and I have the same stealth level as any Laughing Coffin member." Sara didn't slow. "I can easily avoid being followed, same as Israel."

She exited the house and closed the door behind her before he could reply, then walked immediately out into the large field that surrounded their home.

It was late afternoon now, with the bright summer sun slowly slipping from its perch in the heavens. The forest on either side of her swayed calmly, quietly, in the nice breeze. In front, at the north end of the field, the empty and overgrown log houses that Retarin and his people- the ex-HDA members loyal to Jae- had once lived in were lifeless and still.

After a moment of studying the surrounding area, Sara glanced down at the man made dirt path and scanned it for tracks. Though there were many, both old and new, it was easy for her to tell which were fresh and belonging to Israel and Jae.

She followed the light tracks into the woods and continued on, using her refined stealth skill to move quickly and quietly through the trees.

Her levels in tracking and searching were finally paying off.

…

"You really think Midnight would have come through here?" Jae asked behind him. "Seems a pretty roundabout way of getting to the Farmhouse."

Bent down on one knee, his hand tracing the ground in front of them, Israel glanced around and sighed in exhaustion.

His brother was right. It made no sense to come through here. Besides, the ground was so different now due to the rains that he doubted he would have been able to discern tracks even if there were any.

He stood up, his back and neck muscles sore. "Yeah. Let's move on."

Jae hefted his double bladed staff and nodded. "Where to now?"

Israel had hoped he wouldn't ask that question. The truth of the matter was that he had been leading them in circles for some time now. There just weren't any damned leads. No tracks or scents or disturbances in the wood of any kind that could be seriously considered, thanks to the damned weather. It seemed as though Midnight had an uncanny amount of luck on her side.

Israel glanced around for a moment, taking in the lush, green forest all around them, its depths still carrying the scent of damp wood and earth. A ways ahead, he could see the babbling stream he and Sara had once gone to to cover him in mud in preparation for an assault on a beehive. On a different day he might have smiled at the humorous memory, but today, he was entirely too tired and frustrated at his helplessness.

He had once been the Shadow of Death, for christ's sake. How many red players had he hunted relentlessly during those years? And now he couldn't even seem to catch one woman.

"What about up there?" Jae pointed into the trees with the blade of his staff.

Israel followed the direction and, after a moment, caught sight of a gnoll jutting up from between a cluster of large trees some twenty feet away. It was well hidden, blending in to some degree with the more level ground around it, and rose gradually up at least ten feet above the forest floor. Its top was also partially hidden, covered on three sides by the low hanging branches of the trees around it.

Israel frowned at his brother. "Why would she have gone over there? That's even further out of the way."

"I may not know anything about tracking, but I know a good strategic position when I see it. It's not far from the edge of the clearing, and if the wind is pushing north, you could probably hear a good bit on the air from up there. Great vantage point for spying on the woods all around. Good for scouting and reconnaissance in a hostile area." He shrugged at Israel. "Perhaps Midnight thought so too?"

Israel thought it over. He couldn't deny his brother's logic. If Midnight were smart, she would have spied on them from afar for a while before daring to move in close and post the note.

"You think there might still be tracks up there if she used it?" Israel asked him.

"That's for you to determine. Like I said, stealth and woodcraft are far from my area of expertise."

Israel dipped his head towards the gnoll and started forward. "Well, it's not like we have any other leads. We'll try there."

Jae fell in beside him and kept pace easily, though with less grace. Israel, who moved automatically from soft spot to soft spot without making noise, had to suppress a grimace each time his brother snapped a wet twig in two with his boot or pushed branches out of the way.

It didn't really matter much as they weren't attempting to hide from anyone or be stealthy, but such disturbances were old pet peeves of his.

"It's going to be dark soon," Jae noted as they walked.

Israel nodded, not thinking much about the statement- he was too busy brooding. "It's fine, I can guide us in the dark."

"I doubt the others will be happy if we stay out much longer."

Israel stopped and frowned at him.

"You want to go back? We haven't found anything yet."

Jae shook his head. "I want to keep helping- if me tagging along in the woods behind you for hours constitutes help- but the others will want us back soon. Vivienne-"

"I thought the whole reason you came with me today is because you wanted to get some space from her." Israel's headache was starting to flare up again, but he ignored it.

"No." Jae shook his head with enthusiasm. "I said I wanted to give _her _some space. I think she feels ashamed and just wants to be left alone for awhile."

Israel looked his brother in the eye curiously. "So you're not angry with her, then?"

"Of course not. Just…" Jae's mouth worked a moment as he tried to find the right words, "...confused. I don't understand why she felt like she had to lie back then and say she killed Midnight. She could've told me she let her go. I wouldn't have been angry."

Israel shrugged as they stepped over the thin stream. "Maybe she wanted to make sure Midnight got away. You would've sent men to take her prisoner if you had known, yes?"

Jae's brow furrowed. "I suppose, but not if Vivienne had told me to let her be."

"Well, why don't you just ask her about it, then?"

Now it was Jae's turn to shrug. "What if she doesn't want me too? I think I should wait until she wants to talk to me-"

Israel threw up a hand for silence.

He thought he had just heard something.

Or someone.

Jae took the queue immediately and was about to drop into a defensive stance when Sara emerged from the depths of the trees.

Israel's eyes widened in surprise. She had very nearly managed to sneak up on him.

His headache flared even stronger as realization hit him- she had just walked through the woods alone.

He opened his mouth to speak, but immediately closed it when he saw the look in her eyes.

Jae must have seen it too, for he took an awkward step back.

"You haven't replied to my messages," she said flatly.

Israel blinked at her, then looked up in the corner of his vision. There were two message notifications.

"Sorry, I guess I was pretty focused on-"

"You've been out all day again. You said you wouldn't."

Israel felt a tinge of irritation flash past his headache at her tone and interruption, but he kept himself in check.

"We thought we had found a lead-"

"You said that yesterday. And the day before." Sara crossed her arms under her chest. "I'm guessing this lead was a dead end?"

Israel wasn't sure what she was getting at, but that last question stung. "What's with the interrogation, Sara? And why are you alone? We agreed to always move in pairs-"

"I'm perfectly able to stay hidden in the woods. And don't change the subject."

He threw up his hands. "What subject?"

Rather than reply, Sara took a breath and glanced over at Jae. "You should go check on Vivienne. She's upset."

Grasping her hidden meaning immediately, Jae looked to Israel, who nodded.

"It's fine. Sara and I will check the top of the gnoll. I'll message you if we find anything."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now you remember how messages work?"

"That's my queue to go." Jae pulled out a linked up Corridor Crystal and held it aloft.

A large, glowing, translucent blue doorway appeared before him, and he quickly stepped through.

The glow dissipated immediately.

Israel straightened and looked back to Sara, who stood out fiercely against the canopy of green thanks to her black dress and silver hair.

He motioned for her to continue. "So, now we're alone. What's wrong?"

Her face reddened in irritation, but she didn't raise her voice. "You know what's wrong. You said you wouldn't stay out here all hours of the day. You said you'd keep an eye on your messages-"

"I'm trying to catch Midnight, Sara!" he exclaimed, at the end of his patience. "We have to stop her before she kills someone."

"And you think I don't want the same?" She stepped towards him. "I want the threat dealt with just as much as you- we all do. But wandering aimlessly through the woods doesn't get us anywhere!"

"I'm looking for leads-"

"We both know there aren't any leads after all that rain, Israel!" She stopped and took a breath. "You're only out here because you're frustrated that there's nothing we can do right now. But like I already told you yesterday, burning yourself out by not eating or sleeping won't achieve anything."

Frustrated, Israel turned and began walking towards the base of the gnoll.

"Are you really just walking away right now?" She asked behind him, her voice stormy.

He kept moving. "I can't just sit at home and wait for our lives to be threatened."

She grabbed at his shoulder and yanked his leather jerkin with surprising strength, forcing him to face her.

"And you think I want to sit at home? Alone? With nothing to do but wait and hope you're alright even as you refuse to listen to what your wife tells you?"

"You could have come with me! I only took Jae because you stopped wanting to search-"

"Because there's nothing to search!" She shook his jerkin before releasing him. "We need to wait for a better opportunity! You should know this better than me! Stop letting your fear for our family's safety take your reason from you."

"Sara, listen-"

"No." She held up a hand. "You listen. This isn't helping. You're only hurting yourself right now, and nothing can come of it. We need to be patient and wait for a better opportunity. For actual leads." Her voice softened suddenly, and he thought he saw moisture in her big blue eyes.

"I understand that you're frustrated, really I do, but you're only making things harder on me, on everyone, yourself included. I want you to be safe at the Farmhouse with me, and I want us to be ready and prepared when Midnight shows up again. The rains look like they've passed us by, so with a little luck, there will be some tracks next time. Better yet, we might even be able to catch her in the act. If we stay watchful and alert. Together."

Any trace of irritation Israel had felt was already long gone the moment he saw Sara on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have raised my voice at you."

"I'm sorry too." He pulled her to him for an embrace. "You're right. I'm going about all this like an idiot."

She shook her head in his shoulder. "No, just like an amatuer."

In spite of both his headache and his guilty conscience, Israel couldn't help but smile.

"Smart ass."

She lifted her chin to look him in the eye, and he kissed her.

"Can we head back now?" she asked. "You need to eat something."

He was about to say yes but then remembered the gnoll. They were already there, after all.

"Jae wanted to check up there," he gestured at the well camouflaged rise. "Help me check it?"

Sara sighed, but nodded and began trudging up the slope.

It took them a moment to reach the top thanks to overgrown roots jutting out every which way, and the ground was still a bit muddy, but the moment they did, Israel couldn't help but admire Jae's eye for tactical positions. It was an excellent vantage point, just as he had said, offering both he and Sara a clear view of a large segment of the forest while being relatively well hidden themselves.

The trees swayed slowly all around, and here and there Israel could spot squirrels or rabbits darting from cover to cover.

"How's your headache?" Sara asked beside him.

He glanced at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I've been living with you ever since the damned Treehouse. I think I know you well enough to tell when you're feeling badly."

"It's fine, I just need to sleep."

Israel looked away from the forest view and dropped to a knee to study the ground. Sara went with him, but it took neither of them very long to see that they had just created the only tracks there. In fact, it looked as though they were the first humans ever to stand atop the gnoll.

Israel sighed, disappointed, and rose back up to his feet.

"It's about to be dark. We should…"

For in instant, far out beyond the gnoll, movement caught his eye.

They both stopped and turned at the same time, their gazes fixed to the same spot.

"You saw that?" he asked quietly.

Sara nodded. "Only for a second. Think we can be seen from here?"

Israel shook his head. "The branches conceal us outside of ten feet."

They waited silently, neither blinking.

Then Israel saw it again. This time, thanks to their position atop the gnoll, it was easier to spot, and shaped just like a human.

Someone was walking carefully through the woods.

Towards the Farmhouse.

.

.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: join my Discord server, Brothers in Arms, for BiA and Blood Brothers talk guys! I know some of you have PMed me on here and I haven't gotten to answering some yet because I'm only on here when I post chapters, but I am always on Discord


	6. Chapter 6

6

June 8th, 2025

United States, Dallas, Texas

"Lovely place you have here," Scott said as he sat down at the small kitchen bar.

Sturgiss, ever the quiet one, politely declined a stool and remained standing.

"Thank you." Yulie smiled. "But if we're being honest, it only looks like that thanks to our roommate."

"Just moved in with him?"

She nodded and glanced at her husband, Kaito, with a smile. "Yes. We got married last month and were lucky enough to get this lovely apartment thanks to him."

"Is he here?" Sturgiss asked flatly.

The man and woman both shook their heads.

"At work," said Yulie. "He always works afternoons."

"Well, congratulations to both of you." Intrigued, Scott leaned forward. They had time to veer off subject a bit- and besides, such detours often yielded high rewards later.

"So you two met during the Sword Art Online Incident, yes?"

Kaito nodded, and in a very thick Japanese accent said, "We were beri rucky to find each other."

"We fell in love inside SAO," Yulie explained, "and when it was over, we discovered that Kaito was Japanese and I American, which was troublesome at first. We started a long distance relationship for a while, until he was able to move here to the U.S. We got married soon after."

"It's all legal," Kaito was quick to add as he glanced at their FBI suits. "I have my grueenu card."

Scott nodded slowly, more curious than anything. "So the two of you weren't aware of each other's home countries during your time in the game? You never talked about where you were from?"

Kaito shook his head. "It was not impotant to us. In Sword Artu Online, people did not think about where they were from before."

Scott blinked in surprise. "Really? Are you saying you just forgot about where you really were?"

"You didn't experience it, Mr. Roth." Yulie offered him a small, polite smile. "Most people we know ask similar questions, and look at us funny when we answer. With all due respect, I don't think you would understand."

"Maybe not, but it's my job to try. Please?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment before nodding respectfully. Yulie cleared her throat and began.

"I guess all I can really say is that for us, Sword Art Online wasn't just some virtual video game. To you and everyone else, we were in comas, but that wasn't how we felt at all. We felt just as awake, just as alive, as always. If not more so."

She looked past him and out at the kitchen window.

"Every sensation was there, every sense. The feeling of the sun on your skin was real, sweltering summer days complete with abysmal humidity and bugs were real, the coziness of a hot meal and a warm room during a rain soaked storm were real. When everything is in place like that, even the fear of death, you don't think about the world you're not in. You think about the one you are.

"After the first few months, we all started to forget about the real world. After the first year, we started to forget about the people in it- even the ones we cared the most about. Is it so surprising then, that when Think...Kaito and I met, we didn't discuss our old lives outside the world of Aincrad?"

Scott leaned back on the bar stool. "I suppose not. Thank you for the explanation. You have helped us to understand a little more what it was like being trapped in SAO."

Sturgiss let out a sigh of boredom. "All well and good, but I think we should focus on why we came here today."

Raising his bullneck, Sturgiss looked seriously- but not unkindly- at Yulie and Kaito.

"What would you say your relationship to the missing so-called 'brothers,' Israel Blanco and Jae Kulavic, was?"

"Friends," replied Kaito. "They are beri dear friends."

"_Are_?" Sturgiss repeated. "You believe they are alive?"

"Of course."

"They can take care of themselves," Yulie agreed. "All of them can."

"I'm sure that's true," Scott said with a nod. "I've heard they managed to get through quite a few life threatening moments during those two years, but they didn't exactly have thousands of people avidly hating them during their time in SAO either. You don't think someone here might have tried to hurt them? Someone angry over the loss of a loved one during the game, maybe?"

"Maybe," Kaito replied. "But they know how to defend themselves."

Scott and Sturgiss both looked at each other briefly, wordlessly conferring with each other on what they had just heard, before Scott focused his attention back on the couple across the bar counter.

"I'm assuming you believe that due to what you witnessed them do back in the game?" he asked. "The people they killed?"

To his surprise, neither Kaito nor Yulie backed down from the loaded question.

"They did what they had to do," Yulie said firmly. "And I believe that every person they killed deserved it. The red players were murderers- murderers we killed too."

"You may not have heard this," added Kaito, "but Israel and Jae saved many more rives than they took. Please don't forget that, Mr. Roth."

Scott rapped his knuckles on the countertop for a moment, considering the two of them. In the interim, Sturgiss cleared his throat and spoke up once more, his deep, guttural voice reverberating throughout the apartment.

"Let's back up a moment, shall we? Can the two of you tell us how you met the brothers, or any of the missing group? How exactly did this friendship come to pass?"

Kaito spoke up first. "I met them a month or two before Yulie did. Jae's wife, Vivienne, was rueading some of her men to a quest-"

"She was a leader?" Sturgiss looked genuinely interested for once. "Same rank as Jae?"

"No, but she was an important officer, and beri good at her job."

"And their ranks were only important within their organization, the 'Holy Dragon Alliance,' correct?" Scott asked. "They didn't hold positions over your group, for instance?"

"That is correct, Most players were divided into guilds, each with its own rueaders. In Aincrad my name was Thinker, and I was commander only over the Army guildu. Yulie was Yulier, and she was my second in command. The ranks were within our own guilds alone, but people of impotance often met to cooperate during emergencies."

"Very interesting," Sturgiss mused. "Please, continue with what you were saying before."

Kaito nodded politely. "Vivienne and her men were ambushed by red pulayers on the road. Murderers. I was on the way to meet with their guild's rueader, Lind- I think his real name is Michael- and helped her and her men in the fighting. After that I met Jae, and he proved an intelligent and brave man, a model commander, just like his wife.

"We became fast friends, and from then on, I suppoted them in the politics of our world. I fought with Jae and Israel in the great fight against the red pulayers- the Battle of Brakrun, we call it."

Sturgiss smirked at this. "A full scale battle? Like in the movies? Two armies of folks in medieval armor charging each other on a battlefield, swords clashing, all that?"

Kaito smirked right back at him. "Add a stonu floor turned red and completely covered by a few hundred mangled, ripped open bodies of young men and women- many of whom were teenagers as young as fifuteen- covered in their own blood and gore, their intestines falling out, limbs hacked off, crying for their friends and family as they died...but besides that, yes, exactly like the movies."

Sturgiss cleared his throat and shifted his weight awkwardly. "I uh...sorry to make a joke out of it. Didn't think about it like that. Bad form."

"Again," replied a somber Yulie, "we're used to it."

Scott shot Sturgiss a look they both understand well, silently urging him to watch his mouth for what felt like the thousandth time. His partner had a habit of speaking bluntly and without filters, and sometimes that aided them well, but the last thing they needed right now was a lawsuit against the FBI for being 'insensitive.'

Scott leaned forward. "We've heard that Mr. Kulavic and Mr. Blanco both played key roles in that battle. It's also widely known that many people who joined the 'red players' are still alive and here with us today. Do you not think that any of them could have tried getting revenge?"

"Are you talking about PoH?"

"Who?" Scott blinked. "Oh, you mean Vassago Casals." He shook his head. "No, I mean anyone among the red player group. You don't think we should investigate any of them for the sake of your missing friends? Just to be sure?"

Kaito and Yulie both hesitated briefly. Finally, Kaito shrugged.

"I believe that the red pulayers are different now. They all went through rehabilitation. But I suppose...I suppose it could not hurt."

_Got him. _

Scott had to suppress the urge to narrow his eyes at the young man. Instead, he continued on without pause.

"We heard that Jae also had a falling out with his organization's leader after the battle. Do you know anything about that?"

Kaito nodded. "It is true. Lind wanted Israel imprisoned with the other red pulayers captured after the battle. Jae refused, and, from what I was told later by my informants, blood was nearly spilled over it. Their falling out left the HDA guild weakened, and it lost its place as the dominant guild to the KoB."

"Sounds like 'Lind' had more than enough reason to want to hurt them, wouldn't you say?"

Scott was confident that Michael had had nothing to do with the group's disappearance- his and Sturgiss' interview with the sad, self-hating man had made that quite obvious. But it never hurt to appear more ignorant than he was. That was one of the best ways to trap people in a lie.

Kaito shook his head. "The Lind I know is a self absorbed coward. He would never do anything in SAO unress he had the full support of many people, and unress he was sure he wouldn't have to deal with repercussions."

Yulie nodded knowingly, but remained quiet.

Scott laced his fingers together, considering how to proceed.

"Well," he began, "you both care about them, that's clear, and yet neither of you seem very concerned about their disappearance." He shrugged. "So what do you think happened to them? Where did they go? And why?"

Kaito rubbed his temple. "Can I be compretely honest with you, Mr. Roth?"

"Of course, and I can only hope you've been honest with me all along."

The young man straightened his back. "I think you are wuasting your time, Mr. Roth, Mr. Blenheim. Both Yulie and I berieve that the brothers and their family are gone not because of some murderer out for their blood, but because they want to be."

Scott frowned. "So they just up and moved out of the state? Out of the country?"

"That I do not know."

"Why do you think this?"

Kaito gestured around. "The whole country hates them, Mr. Roth. I'm sure you heard about it. Why stay? Why not go somewhere with ress hatred for them, where they are not the center of controversial debate? I would certainly move, if I were in their shoes."

Scott couldn't help but smile. "The thing is, Kaito, if they had moved, we would know it- unless they covered their tracks. And why would seven law abiding citizens need to hide their movements from the U.S. government?"

Now it was Kaito's turn to shift awkwardly in his seat.

A few hours later, Scott was sitting at his old desk in the spare room that had long ago been converted into his home office. A cold cup of coffee set to the side was growing colder still as he skimmed the travel records of Israel and Jae on his government issued laptop. He could find nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that he needed.

But he was beginning to believe that something _was _there, hidden away in the digital depths.

After the interview with Kaito and Yulie in their apartment, Scott and Sturgiss wasted no time in calling for someone to keep an eye on the happy couple. Both of them agreed that the pair were withholding some clue at best, and hiding the truth behind the whole case at worst. Sturgiss wanted to call them out on it, to hit them harder next time, but Scott had convinced him to be patient- maintaining the illusion of ignorance was important. Patience was key.

It was very possible that Scott was pinning too much on Kaito and Yulie. After all, whether they were hiding something or not, it was easy to see that they had no malicious intent, and certainly weren't behind any foul play. Yet in a case that had so far yielded a good bit of backstory but not a single lead of any kind, what else was there to do?

Elena's voice carried suddenly through the wall from the kitchen, but he only half registered it. She sounded angry, but her tone was controlled. Probably scolding Jenna for something. No matter.

Scott tapped his fingers on the keyboard, considering the similarities between the interviews of Michael/Lind and the happy couple. Twice now he had seen how sure people were that the missing group could defend themselves. Kaito had practically shrugged off the idea that they had been abducted or murdered.

An idea came to him, and Scott quickly returned his attention to the laptop screen, now on standby and depicting the official icon of the bureau; the golden shield, seal, and twin laurel branches of the FBI. Just below this icon ran an unrolled scroll with the words _Fidelity_, _Bravery_, and _Integrity_. Scott rolled his eyes at the symbol, as always, and quickly typed his government password into the laptop.

Though he had already seen it once before, he looked up the police report on the night that Vassago Casals had attacked Israel Blanco and Sara Mason. It was always good to go back once one had more information.

Just as he pulled up the report, the door opened behind him, bathing the whole room in bright light from the hallway.

He sighed quietly, but knew better than to tell them that he was busy. He had already used that one twice today.

"Scott."

He swivelled his chair around to see Elena, looking none too happy, standing with her arms crossed behind Jenna, who, at seven years old, only reached to about her stomach. Both were facing him.

"Yes? Something wrong, girls?"

Jenna looked down at her toes and said nothing.

Elena urged her forward. "Your daughter has something to say to you." She glanced down at the girl. "Don't you?"

Without looking up, Jenna shook her head fervently. Her mat of curly brown hair- the same color as her mother's- flew out around her.

Elena scowled. "Jenna Estrella Roth, es mejor que empieces a hablar!"

Scott cleared his throat awkwardly. He too was getting the urge to look down at his toes.

Jenna hesitated for a moment, then slowly looked up at him in shame.

"I'm sorry, daddy."

Scott blinked and looked from her to Elena. He gave her a 'what now' gesture with his arms.

She shot him an angry glare.

Suppressing the urge to just tell Jenna that he accepted her apology, he smiled at her.

"Sorry? For what, angel?"

Tears were rapidly beginning to formulate in her eyes. "I...I...I…"

"Jenna," Elena said calmly.

"I...I'm sorry daddy...I was in the kitchen with mommy and she was talking and I said that you didn't care about us, but I-I didn't mean it and I don't know why I said it." she was openly crying now, clearly afraid that she was in huge trouble. " I'm sorry."

Scott cleared his throat again and glanced from her to his wife. Elena merely raised her eyebrows at him. He looked back to Jenna.

"It's alright Jenna, I'm not angry. I accept your apology. But why do you think I don't care about the two of you?"

"I don't think that, I'm really sorry, daddy. I don't know why I said it."

He got out of the chair and down on his knees in front of her. "Jenna, I love you and mommy very, very much. Promise."

She nodded vigorously as tears stained her puffy cheeks. "I know, I don't know why I said it, I'm sorry, daddy. I really am."

"It's alright, Jen." He opened his arms for a hug, and she quickly accepted the invitation.

Her sniffles didn't slow down, and Scott was sure that there would be at least some snot on his shirt very soon, but he ignored it and hugged her tight while rubbing her back affectionately.

"Jen, It's alright. Thank you for telling me what you said, and for saying sorry. That was very nice of you, and made me feel a lot better. I promise you, I care about you and mommy more than anything in this world, alright?"

She sniffled into his shoulder and nodded fiercely. "Am I...am I in trouble?"

He chuckled. "No, you're not in any trouble. I just want you to remember from now on that daddy loves you always, even if I'm busy at work. Ok?"

She sniffled again. "Ok."

"Alright." He separated from her, kissed her on her tear stained cheek, and then smiled. "Why don't you go clean your face up and get ready for dinner, huh? I bet mommy made some tasty food for us."

"Me and mommy already ate dinner," Jenna said innocently.

Scott could feel Elena's sharp brown eyes boring a hole into his skull.

"Go get cleaned up now, baby," she ordered softly. "It's almost time for bed."

Jenna nodded, sniffled, and quickly left the room.

Scott rubbed his eyes before straightening and sinking back into his swivel chair. He looked at Elena, who just stood there quietly.

"May I ask a question?"

She cocked her head at him. "Sure."

"Why does it seem like you're as angry at me as you were at Jen?"

"Maybe because she didn't just pull what she said out of thin air," she fired back.

He felt a flash of anger at what she was insinuating, but kept it in check. He had never raised his voice at his wife- not once- and he wasn't about to start now.

"What are you trying to say, Elena? That I don't care about my daughter? About you?"

She crossed her arms under her chest.

"No, Scott, that's not what I'm saying and you know it. Don't start pouting, please. I get enough of that from her."

"Then what do you mean?"

"That she's noticing how little you're around. She's smart enough to pay attention to how often you're at work."

"I'm right here."

"You're at work." She sighed and walked up to take his hand in hers. Her voice softened. "I'm not trying to piss you off, Amado Mio. I'm just telling you what you need to hear. I understand that this is a difficult job, but I also understand when you go overboard with cases. Jen is starting to understand that too. She's a child. She can't process it very well. Alright?"

Scott was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure not to get too wrapped up in this one. Half an hour and I'll stop for the night to read her a bedtime story or something. Promise." He looked up at her. "I love you, Hermosa."

Though she didn't look too pleased at the mention of an extra half hour, she couldn't stop the tiny, reluctant smile he loved so much from spreading across her features. She sighed, squeezed his hand, and kissed him. "You're still saying it wrong, but I love you anyway. But anything over a half hour and I will come back in here. Hear?"

"Heard."

She gave him another peck on the lips before turning to go. As soon as she had closed the door behind her, he swivelled around and returned to the bright white light of the laptop.

He studied the police report again, mulling over the most interesting facts- that Israel Blanco had been shot twice but still managed to fight back, that Ms. Mason had nearly killed Vassago with a rock before police showed up. And, it had to be noted, this was in the middle of the night, where Vassago had had the element of surprise, darkness, and a fucking gun. Both of them, meanwhile, had been unarmed.

_If all seven are that capable of defending themselves...maybe there's some truth to what Kaito said. _

Scott pondered things for awhile, going through notes, statements, interview records.

Then something hit him. No one had checked travel records from _before_ the disappearances.

He quickly pulled up the flight, bus, train, ship, and credit card records of all seven and began working his way back from the day they had all been declared missing. Within an hour, he had found something interesting.

He took out his phone and hit the auto dial.

Sturgiss picked up almost immediately. "Anything?"

"I think so. I just went through the travel records of all seven. Only a week before they were declared missing- a fucking week, Sturgiss- Jae and Israel took a two way flight to Tokyo."

"Tokyo?"

"In Japan."

"Yeah, I fucking know where Tokyo is, smartass." Sturgiss was quiet on his end for a moment. "Two way…how long did they stay?"

"Less than a day."

"Now that is interesting."

Scott nodded even though he was alone in the room. "We have work to do, Sturgiss. We might have just hit our first real lead."


	7. Chapter 7

7

June 9th, 2025

Floor 70, Farmhouse Outskirts

Israel took off at a sprint, carefully maintaining his momentum while zipping underneath branches and sidestepping twigs on the ground to minimize any sound. To his surprise, Sara kept a good pace with him, and was just as silent.

Aided by the setting sun, the two of them moved like dark shadows through the wild trees, each second bringing them closer to their target.

At twenty feet from the oblivious figure, Israel picked up the pace and shot past Sara in order to get to the threat first. In a blink, he was within ten feet, and from here he could see that the figure appeared to be a man. To his surprise, he couldn't see a player icon above his head. Not red, not green, not anything.

At seven feet away, the man finally heard him coming. He jumped in shock and glanced over his shoulder...and immediately made eye contact with Israel rushing straight at him.

It was the old NPC farmer they had taken a quest for in exchange for herbs less than a week ago.

In his wrinkled hand was a note made with the same parchment as the others that had been placed on the Farmhouse door, as well as a hammer and a long iron nail.

Israel's anger flared, erasing his headache and filling him with energy. He started running even faster, his dark blonde hair whipping around his face and shoulders.

The old NPC went pale as ice, and his eyes widened for but a fraction of a second before he took off running.

Right on his heels, Israel instinctively reached down to draw his red sword, Apocalypse, only to discover that it wasn't there. The Fist of Fariel he did still have, but it was unequipped at the moment.

_Oh well. I don't need a weapon. _

Israel lowered his left shoulder, hunched forward, and short forth with a final burst of speed.

"No!" the old man shouted mid gasp as he ran, "No, plea-"

Israel crashed into him like a train.

The old man emitted a strange, guttural cry as the wind ripped from his lungs and his feet lifted in the air, the impact carrying him right through the treeline and out into the clearing. For a second, it almost looked as though he were flying. Then he slammed face forward into the dirt with a sickening thud. The sound of old bones cracking was unmistakable, and a second later, the man started howling in pain where he lay.

And then, to Israel's surprise, an immense and truly disconcerting pain of his own lanced up his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

…

Panting, Sara charged through the last line of trees and out into the clearing where she had seen Israel tackle the NPC. The skirt of her black dress was getting tangled around her legs, and strands of her silver hair were already sticking to her face, but she barely noticed.

As soon as she entered the clearing, Sara caught sight of the three story Farmhouse about a hundred yards ahead, many of its windows already bright with candlelight from inside as night crept forward.

Then, just a few feet in front of her, she saw the old man groaning in the dirt, unmoving, and Israel hunched over and breathing heavily behind him. He was clutching his left shoulder in obvious pain, though for him to be doing so seemed almost impossible.

Worry instantly took over the adrenaline of giving chase, and Sara ran quickly up to him.

"What happened?" she asked. She forced his hands away from where he was grasping his shoulder to get a better look. "Did he stab you with a knife?"

He shook his head and tried to step away, but she yanked him back to her at once.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "It's nothing like that. I'm fine."

"Fine?" Sara pulled back his leather jerkin and ripped the cloth shirt underneath. "You look like you just took a battle axe to your shoulder. Don't tell me-"

She blinked in surprise when she saw the pink, roughly circular scar right where he had been clutching his shoulder. She knew it immediately- it was the scar left behind by the first bullet PoH had shot at him in the real world.

There was no wound anywhere, no blood.

She glanced up at his health bar.

It was full.

Israel met her eyes, and this time she saw the familiar blue fire within- the blue fire that only filled his eyes when he was focusing on his own pain and somehow gaining a handle on it.

"Fine," he said again.

This time he looked like he meant it.

She didn't take her hands off his scar, so he gently did it for her.

"Come on," he said, gesturing to the NPC still moaning on the ground. "We have to get to the bottom of this."

She nodded reluctantly. "But don't think I'm going to forget about this. I expect an explanation later."

They turned and approached the old man, and as they neared him, he wheezed and tried to crawl away.

Still holding his shoulder with one hand, Israel kicked him in the side without hesitation. Hard.

The NPC groaned louder and stopped crawling.

Israel kicked him again, this time hard enough to roll him over onto his back- after breaking a few ribs.

"Alara h-have mercy," the man croaked in agony. He flailed his arms as if they were jelly. Tears streamed down his dirt covered cheeks. "P-please, no more! No more!"

"Then stop moving," Israel ordered coldly. "Right now."

The old man shuddered in pain and misery, but slowly forced his arms to stop jerking and curled into the fetal position, groaning all the while.

"Are you alone? Are there others with you?"

He shook his head fervently.

Israel bent down- at a slower pace than Sara would have liked- and picked up the note now covered in dirt and grass. He stared at it a moment.

"It says, 'you will not survive this time,'" he said bitterly. He dropped the note and glanced over at her, and in his eyes she could his disbelief, his frustration and anger. "All that terror for days...all that fear for our safety...over a fucking NPC."

He spun around and kicked the old man in the side of his head, knocking several teeth out of his mouth along with strings of blood.

"P-please," the NPC gurgled through the blood in his mouth. "Mer-mercy…

If she had seen this before the events of SAO, Sara knew, she would feel horrible just seeing this kind of harm coming to an elderly person, NPC or not. But she wasn't that Sara. Not even close.

She stepped forward in a quiet rage and gestured at the note, hammer, and nail on the ground.

"What were those for?"

The old man shuddered again, swallowed, and began rocking slowly where he lay.

Sara brought her black, knee high boot down on his elbow, snapping the bone.

He howled in torment and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Answer me!"

"It was for you, m'lady! I was going to w-wait until dark and then hammer it into the door of your h-home!" He licked his bloody lips as he cried. "B-but I swear...I never would have actually...I never meant to truly cause you any physical-"

"Why did you sign the first note with an M?" Sara demanded.

The NPC worked his mouth for a moment, but couldn't seem to stop his sobbing as he clutched his broken arm and spat out more teeth.

Israel stepped forward threateningly. "Answer her."

"Because…" he cried out in panic, "because...I w-wanted you to know that it was me who was putting up the notes. M for M-Mikal."

Israel cursed under his breath. "Idiot. We didn't even know your worthless name until just now."

Rather than reply, Mikal simply curled up tighter and continued to sob.

Israel shook his head in disgust, then started glancing around the clearing and at the treeline.

"Message Jae and the others?" he asked her. "I'm going to do a quick sweep of the trees and see if he's telling the truth about being alone. For all we know, red players might still be behind this somehow."

Sara frowned at him. "How could players get an NPC to do something like this?"

"I don't know, but that makes more sense to me then an NPC doing this of his own accord."

"Are you sure you're good to-"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'm fine Sara, really. I'll be right back. If you see anything, throw a light potion."

And with that, he took off into the treeline.

"Alara save me," Mikal rasped to himself. A puddle of tears was beginning to form in the dirt by his head. "Alara save me. Alara s-save me-"

"If you don't stop whining," Sara said quietly, "You'll be asking Alara why she didn't save you very soon."

He quickly stifled his next sob.

It didn't take but a few minutes before Jae, Vivienne, and the others all emerged from the Farmhouse straight for her, weapons in hand and running at full speed.

When they reached her, they instinctively formed a circle around Mikal. Meifan kept his angelic shield low to prevent its bright light beam as he took up a position to best protect them all from missiles. Vivienne and Jae scanned the clearing warily, and Sara could practically see their strategic minds thinking about their vulnerable position and how they could use the terrain if a fight broke out. David looked at Mikal in shock, but didn't go forward to help. Avari looked ready to split the old man's head in half there and then without a care in the world.

"Where's Israel?" Vivienne asked Sara. "He alright?"

She nodded. "Fine. He's just checking the perimeter for anymore unwanted guests."

Jae's fingers tapped the shaft of his double bladed spear, Starfire. "An NPC."

Sara nodded again. "An NPC." She showed them the note. "He's been behind every one of them. His name is Mikal."

Anger and disbelief flashed in Jae's calculating brown eyes.

"He say why he did it?"

"I figured it would be best to wait for everyone to be here for that."

"Did Israel have to hurt him like this?" David asked quietly. "He looks horrible."

Sara didn't back down. "He wasn't answering our questions. And I hurt him just as much as he did."

As if on queue, Israel appeared from out of the trees and strode quickly over to them.

He shook his head and swiped his long blonde hair back out of his face.

"There's no one nearby. The whole forest seems undisturbed."

"Good," said Jae. He twirled his staff elegantly into his arms and stooped down before Mikal's crying form.

"So, looks like you weren't too happy about giving us those quest rewards the other day."

"Please, m'lord," Mikal begged, his voice hoarse from his cries. "Please. I deserve the pain I've suffered. But please, spare my life."

Vivienne crossed her arms. "Tell us why you did it."

"Please-"

"Tell us. Now."

Mikal blinked in fear for several seconds, then nodded weakly at Jae.

"Tis as you say, lord. I was...I was angry something fierce at everything I h-had to give up to ye after ye killed my monster in the fields." He raised his good arm and pointed weakly at Israel. "And at him for cheatin' m-me."

Jae scowled at him in utter disbelief. "So you decided that murdering seven people would see justice served for the crime of having to pay us some fucking herbs?"

"Nay lord, nay!" Mikal cried. "Please, tweren't like that, I swear! I was angry, true. Had no right to be, I see that now, but I was. Drink got me a bit overconfident, overzealous. I thought to scare ye all, perform a prank or two to make everyone lose a night or two of sleep...but I never meant to actually go through with any of what was written on the papers! I swear!"

Jae nodded, his face as hard as stone. "Unless of course you got lucky enough to catch one of us by surprise, I imagine. A dagger to the back without any worry of retaliation."

Mikal's tear filled eyes widened in horror as he shook his head wildly.

"Nay, lord, nay…" he started whimpering. "Nay...I'd never have...I swear...please, spare my life, and I'll never-"

"And how stupid could you be to write the initial of your name into the note threatening us with death? If we'd known it was you, we could've just walked up to your home and put a stop to it then and there."

Mikal nodded painfully. "I know lord...fact I thought that's exactly what you would do, so I closed up the farmstead before I came here that first night. I've been staying at the inn in Garnet for the last couple days. Thought I'd be...be safe there. Please-"

"Stop begging," Israel said menacingly. He looked to Jae and Vivienne. "So, what should we do with him?"

"There's only one thing to do," Jae replied coldly. He flipped his staff into his hands and glanced to Vivienne, who nodded her approval.

David stepped forward hesitantly. "Wait. Is there no other action we could take, Jae? At the end of the day, he hasn't killed or hurt anyone yet. We've spared Laughing Coffin members in the past for worse."

"Intent is just as bad as the deed itself," Jae replied. "He went out of his way to scare us with threats of murder, and I believe he meant them. He knows where we live. He is a threat to us, and will almost certainly try to harm one of us given a chance. You want to look over your shoulder every day for the rest of our lives? You want to take turns keeping watch inside our own home at night?"

"I just don't think…"

Jae's voice softened a little. "David, there's no prison anymore. The Black Iron Palace is empty and gathering dust. We can't enforce any kind of imprisonment without people there to guard it. What else is there to do? Let him go?"

"Vivienne let Midnight-"

"And what I did was wrong," Vivienne said firmly. "I shouldn't have done it. And we shouldn't make the same mistake."

David stood his ground. "Mistake? Now we know that Midnight isn't even here. And back then, before the end of SAO, she never came back for revenge during the months after the Battle of Brakrun."

Avari took his arm. "David, this isn't even a real person. He's an NPC who's somehow lost his mind. He must be a glitch, a faulty bit of programming. Killing him makes no difference. He's a threat, nothing more."

"I agree," said Sara.

Israel and Meifan both nodded their heads quietly.

Outvoted, David sighed in irritation and turned away, shaking his head the whole while.

"No…" Mikal's eyes quickly began to fill with fresh tears as his face paled. "No. Please...don't do this! Please m'lor-"

With a flick of movement faster than Sara could even keep her eyes on, Jae twirled his staff into both hands and thrust it forward with perfect grace deep into Mikal's heart- a quick and painless death. The NPC twitched, blinked in surprise, and then exhaled before exploding apart into pixelated shards.

Jae spun his staff back behind his shoulder and onto the clasps on his back. He didn't look regretful, but nor did he appear pleased or satisfied in any way.

Sara and the others watched the bright, shimmering mist of shards float on the air briefly before following the wind up into the sky. It had been quite some time since she had seen them last, and she hadn't expected to see them again.

Vivienne was the first to speak. "We need to figure out why Mikal did this. How he did it."

"NPCs were always able to communicate rather freely before," Meifan observed, "but they never strayed far from their living area. They always stayed in the towns or houses they spawned in."

"They also didn't hold grudges and try to find and kill players," Avari added dryly. "For him to be behind this means that he travelled no less than five miles every night just to hang his little love letters on our front door."

Sara nodded. "And he also would have had to stalk one of us home or ask other NPCs in Garnet just to figure out where we live. That's a level of pre-meditation and planning I've never seen before from an NPC."

Jae furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

"Don't forget what Dr. Rinko told us before we dived back in. David and I thought about this a few days ago. She said that the NPCs- hell, all of Aincrad- were running completely unscripted now thanks to the shutdown of the Cardinal System. There's no rules anymore for the way the world works. Everything remains as it was, except now there's no program running behind the scenes keeping everything smooth and repetitive. Cities were never meant to change based on NPC economic or social activity- they were supposed to be static safe zones that the players would alter to fit our needs over time. Same with NPCs."

He looked at each of them. "Maybe Mikal is a result of the loss of Cardinal. One of the first evidences of the change."

David turned back around, his face somber. "Maybe we should contact Kayaba for confirmation?"

Jae shook his head. "I tried that days ago when the notes first started appearing. His GM status is as unresponsive now as it was back then."

"There's only one thing we can take from all this for sure," Israel said, his arms crossed under his chest. "Midnight and other Laughing Coffin players we suspected might be with her are not here after all. The red player threat we were so worried about was all for nothing. Most likely, we are still the only people in Aincrad."

Jae shrugged. "I don't see how that's anything we should be irritated about. Frankly, I'm quite content not having to worry about other players out there for a little while longer."

"And now that the true threat has been eliminated," added Meifan, "everything can finally start going back to normal. We're safe."

"I still don't think killing him was the right call," David said, his young face hard. He looked at Jae. "I respect your position as the leader, you know that, but I think we let frustration and paranoia get the better of us tonight."

Jae nodded, and though it was now dark, Sara could see the lines of responsibility etched onto his face. He looked like he was quite accustomed to being blamed and called to question for his decisions. As she often did, Sara found herself wishing she could have seen Israel's brother during his glory days as the de facto leader of the entire HDA.

"I understand, and I'm sorry to have gone against you, brother," Jae said calmly. "But I think it was the right thing to do, and I would not hesitate to do it again to protect this group- with or without the majority vote."

David shook his head but said nothing. After a moment, he turned and began walking back to the Farmhouse.

"I'll talk to him," Avari said, and quickly followed after David through the field.

Vivienne stepped up beside Jae and took his hand. Not needing words, he smiled at her and pulled her close.

The sight of such a natural understanding and wordless affection made Sara want to be closer to Israel, but when she turned to walk towards him, she found that he was already beside her, a small smile of reassurance on his tired face.

Meifan slung his shield on his back and took a breath. "About time we all got some sleep, anway. A proper sleep."

"Should we still keep a watch?" Sara asked Jae and Vivienne. "Just to be safe?"

"I don't think that's necessary anymore," said Vivienne.

Jae thought about it a moment. "Agreed. We'll bar the door and make sure the windows are locked tight, just to be on the safe side and allow everyone some peace.

"But I believe the worst is behind us now."

…

Back in their room a half hour later, Sara and Israel were quick to get ready for bed. Israel was exhausted, and Sara wanted to forget about Mikal the NPC and start the new day fresh tomorrow. It was high time things got back to normal, and the peace and harmony from their first couple of weeks back in Aincrad restored.

Taking off her dirt powdered boots, quickly followed by the unlacing and removing of her black satin dress, she shuffled through her clothing drawer briefly before selecting one of her light and comfortable nightgowns. She shivered as she closed the drawer, and the bare skin of her chest and arms quickly accumulated goose bumps. It was unusually chilly for a June night.

"Alright?" Israel asked behind her as he too undressed.

"Mhm. Just cold."

She slipped into the night gown and made for the bed, but then stopped abruptly when she saw her husband's bare chest- and the two round, pink scars given him by PoH's gun.

She walked up to him. "Let me see your shoulder again."

"Sara, please, I just want to lie down and get some-"

"Stop being a baby and let me see, alright?'

He sighed but did as she ordered. She looked at him for a moment, studying his rigid jawline, his neck, his chest, his abdomen.

"I don't think the hurt was coming from down there," he joked.

She smirked at him and began tracing the first bullet wound scar on his ribs with a finger. "I was just thinking about how much more in shape you were when I first met you."

He scowled at her. "Now that's just cruel."

She poked the scar and looked up at him. "That doesn't hurt at all?"

He shook his head.

Sara moved her attention to the one on his shoulder- the exact same spot he had clutched in so much pain and surprise earlier. She poked him again.

"And that?"

He exhaled slowly. "A little, yes. But not near as much as when I tackled Mikal."

"That's probably because you crashed into him with all of that momentum behind your shoulder." Sara held his gaze as worry enveloped her. "Do you understand what this might mean? How bad this could be?"

He studied her. "What are you thinking, exactly?"

She threw up her arms. "This can only mean one thing, Israel: the wound hasn't fully healed in the real world. On your physical body. Worse yet, it might be infected."

He shook his head firmly. "That's impossible. The hospital released me and never said anything about there still being a problem with either injury. My shoulder was fine from then all the way to Japan and up to the moment we put the NerveGear back on. It's not that."

"Hospitals and doctors aren't perfect," she reminded him. "Mistakes and oversights happen all the time. And even if not, an infection after release due to something going wrong inside your healing tissue could easily occur." She started breathing deeper to maintain her calm as she began to see any number of terrible outcomes. "We have to do something about this. Your body is just lying there. Without proper care...we need to find a way to get a message to the doctors-"

Israel gripped her by the shoulders. "Sara, it's not that pressing. You raise some logical points, I admit, but even if you're right and somehow there is something wrong, I doubt we have anything to worry about. The beds we were put on are highly advanced pieces of technology. They vibrate our bodies and monitor us at all times and who knows what else. If there is something wrong, all the monitors and readings will show it before too long. And then the doctors will address it- that is if there isn't some kind of antibiotic injection that I'll automatically receive."

"I think you're overestimating Kayaba's inventions."

He shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Like I said, the doctors will almost certainly come to know if any one of us sustains some kind of sickness or injury. They've prepared for something like this. They would have had to look at every possibility before opening the self running chamber for us." He ran a hand through her hair. "So it's all going to be fine. Alright?"

Sara thought it over for a moment. As worried as she was, it did make sense. They had been hooked up to quite a few hospital cords before going under. She remembered the large monitor screens displaying dozens of body readings above each of their beds. And she remembered the confidence and sincerity of the doctors who ran the place.

She nodded slowly. "I hope you're right."

He kissed her. "So do I."


	8. Chapter 8

8

June 10th, 2025

Floor 70, Farmhouse

Israel and Sara woke up late the next morning. His shoulder still felt a little off and he was still quite tired, but he was happy and in a good mood about the new day; the threat was over, and hopefully everything was alright now.

Though it made his more suspicious side nervous to think it, he told himself that his world, and his family, were safe.

_I think I've gotten a bit too used to bad things happening. I need to lighten up. _

A hand ran through his unruly blonde hair, and he turned to see Sara's big, bright blue eyes staring at him.

"Good morning," she said with a smile.

He nodded. "I agree. It is a very good morning. I'm glad to see you."

"And I you. What can I do to make your morning excellent?"

"Excellent?"

She nodded. "I feel like this needs to be an excellent kind of day."

"You can kiss me."

She smirked at him and did just that. Sara was an excellent kisser, and Israel often had to make himself focus on something other than the softness of her lips in order to concentrate. This was not one of those times.

They got dressed quickly and, after making the bed and tidying up the room a bit, made their way downstairs for a late breakfast. Stunning rays of sunlight streamed into the open windows of the Farmhouse from every direction, bathing the rustic wooden interior in a warm glow. Israel could smell the after scent of myrrh and incense from Avari and David's room, and he smiled to himself in amusement.

_Smells like they had a romantic time last night. _

Then he remembered how angry David had been about Mikal the NPC's death, and his smile faded.

"Smell the incense?" Sara asked as they descended the log steps.

He nodded. "It's a nice scent. I don't remember any NPC shops selling that kind of thing before. I wonder where they got it."

"It was one of David's early birthday presents to Avari. He's been giving her something every day this week that he knows she loves. He's saving the real gifts for tomorrow of course, but I thought this one was very sweet. I helped a little."

Israel lifted an eyebrow at her. "You _made _the incense? Sara, that's incredible. You need to make some for our room."

She shook her head. "No no, don't be silly. I don't think it's possible to just create something like that. He found sap from rare trees that met the right conditions, and I mimicked and accelerated the process of direct heat and light exposure that turns it into incense and myrrh. Going off the scent, it worked out quite well, I'm pleased with the results."

Israel shook his head at her in wonder. "Sara, you're the smartest woman alive, know that?"

"Vivienne is the smartest woman alive, but I like to think I'm close second."

When they reached the first floor of the Farmhouse, the smell of the incense was quickly replaced with that of fire roasted chicken. The meat had been set on a spit above the hearth, and there were still a few haunches left, but neither of them were in the mood for something so heavy.

David was sitting at the table chewing on the remains of a leg, and Meifan was with him, though already finished and in the process of taking his empty plate into the kitchen.

"Morning," David said around a bite.

Israel nodded and smiled.

"Good morning," replied Sara. She sat down opposite him. "How did Avari like the incense?"

David wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I think it's safe to say our little experiment was a success. Thanks for the help, Sara. She loved it."

Sara grinned triumphantly. "Good, I'm glad."

"You two want anything while I'm in here?" Meifan asked from the kitchen.

"There any bread?" Israel called back. "Rye, preferably."

"Few loaves left. Want any cheese with it?"

"Sure."

"May I please have some of the apples we picked the other day?" Sara asked.

Meifan appeared in the doorway with a small bowl of apples already in hand, alongside the loaf and cheese. "Already got it for you."

They thanked him as he set the food down for them. Sara sliced the apples with her knife while Israel set aside slices of buttered bread with cheese for both of them.

"What's on your agenda for the day?" Israel asked when Meifan had finished up in the kitchen.

The tank shrugged. "I think I'll put some work in on the garden. It's not right that Sara and Avari have to do everything."

"We don't mind, Meifan," Sara assured him. "The gardens were our idea anyway."

"No, I want to help. It's a nice day out. Perfect weather for being outside."

Before Sara could protest again, Meifan walked out the front door with a wave back at them.

"Where's everyone else?" Israel asked David.

"Jae took Avari and Vivienne out hunting. Probably be back in a few hours. They wanted some venison for a change."

Israel scoffed. "I'd like to see those three try to catch a deer. They stomp around the woods like bears."

David chuckled with him, then returned to his meal. There was silence at the table for a few minutes as the three of them ate. Then Sara gave David's hand a squeeze.

"How are you, David? After last night...I hope you're not angry with us. We didn't mean to upset you."

He stopped chewing and shook his head. "It's fine, I'm not angry at you."

Israel set down his bread and fixed David with a serious glance that the younger man couldn't look away from.

"We value your thoughts and opinions, brother. I want you to know that." He reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "We're family, after all. You're the one that taught me that. We didn't ignore you back there with Mikal, but all the same, I am sorry."

David cleared his throat and gave Israel a sheepish smile, the kind a younger brother might give after receiving praise from the older.

"I appreciate that. Thank you both. I am fine, though. I talked to Avari last night and thought about things. The past is the past, there's no point dwelling on it now. Besides, there isn't much to be angry about- everyone did what they thought was right, and I know that cruelty is the last thing any of us want. I know that none of you would hurt someone simply because you can."

"All the same," Israel replied humbly, "I know I for one can be...excessive...at times when it comes to violence. From now on, I will strive to be more like you."

David blushed and waved a hand through the air. "Don't start getting all mushy, now. There will be plenty of time for that at the party tomorrow."

"Speaking of which," Sara said excitedly, "what's the plan for tomorrow?"

David sat back and thought about it a moment.

"Well, before Mikal started ruining everything, I had something quite big in mind. I had to scale down my plans significantly after the note fiasco, but now that everything is safe and the threat removed, I think there might still be enough time to put most of what I had in mind into action."

Israel leaned forward. "Tell us how we can help."

David shook his head with a grin. "No way, I want this to be a surprise for everyone, not just Avari. I intend to see to it we all have a day of fun and laughter- though she will take center stage of course."

"Of course." Sara smiled and popped a slice of apple into her mouth.

"You sure you can do everything alone?" Israel asked around a mouthful of bread and cheese. "It sounds like you're giving yourself a lot to do."

"I think I'll manage. Just have to make good use of today. I'm going to head into Garnet with the wagon unless you two need it. I already asked Jae."

Israel and Sara both shook their heads.

"Knock yourself out," said Israel. He couldn't help his curiosity and continued, "but can I at least ask what you need in Garnet?"

"Avari's present should be delivered to the general store sometime today, along with the supplies I need to decorate the Farmhouse." He shot them both a mischievous look. "And there may or not be a few other things I have planned inside the town itself. I can't wait for you two to see it."

David refused to give them any further answers, and so the three of them finished their breakfast- but not before Israel and Sara tried to guess a hundred different times what David had planned. He finished his meal first and left soon after, leaving the two of them alone in the Farmhouse.

"Well," said Israel. He gestured around at the empty living room before settling a smile on the beautiful woman beside him.

He found himself feeling a little mischievous. He also found himself noticing Sara's curvy, feminine figure.

How he loved her figure.

"Looks like everyone else is busy and we have the place all to ourselves for once. Any thoughts on what we should do?"

Sara smirked and batted her eyelashes at him- which instantly got his blood going.

"Why Israel," she said humorously, "it almost sounds as though you have something very specific in mind. Something positively indecent."

He shrugged at her and put on his most innocent face. "I don't know what you mean. Please explain- in as much detail as possible- what you think I'm talking about."

She shook her head, but the grin remained on her face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were behaving like a teenage boy...a teenage boy with plans for us and this dining table."

Feeling more and more indecent by the second, Israel leaned close and, unable to help himself, began planting wet kisses down her soft, supple neck. Sara raised her chin for him in response, amusement lighting up her eyes.

"But you know me better," he said as he bit the nape of her neck. "I would never insinuate such a thing. People eat off that table."

"That they do," she replied. "Tell me, as unlikely and impossible as it is, what would cause you to want to do something like that, you think?"

He grabbed hold of one of the shoulder straps of her black dress and pulled it down her arm to reveal some cleavage which he quickly took advantage of. She made no move to stop him.

"Well, as you say, I would never stoop to such levels, but I suppose if I was to propose such a thing, it would have to be because of how ravishing you are. It's very hard controlling myself around you, and it's not often an opportunity like this arises. Maybe I just wouldn't be able to hold back anymore. Maybe I'd just need to have you, right there, right then, on that table that we eat off of, in the middle of the living room, with your dress hiked up and your legs spread while I bend you over the table, my hand covering your mouth so that Meifan didn't hear outside…"

She shuddered against him, and he felt her hand go through his hair.

"The more you talk about it," she said in her humorous, lustful voice, "the more indecent it sounds."

He groped her breast through her dress and licked her ear at the same time, eliciting another shudder. "You're absolutely right. It's also quite juvenile if you think about it. Extremely immature. And imagine if we were caught."

She nodded against his shoulder while, from under the table, he ran another hand up her leg.

"Good thing we're not going to do-" she moaned as his fingers reached up her dress and between her thighs- "anything like that. Right?"

He nodded while running his fingers along her wet warmth. "Good thing. I mean, it's not like we have nothing else to do today, no quests or problems or enemies to track, and we're the only people inside the Farmhouse. It's not like-" he slid his forefinger inside her, causing her to moan into his shoulder- "we could have wild and rough sex on this table right now and get away with it."

_Enough games. _

His mind in a haze of pure lust, Israel reached down and picked her up in his arms, stood up, swiped their plates and cups onto the floor with a loud crash, and was about to spin her around and bend her over the table when she suddenly tapped his shoulder and raised a finger as if an idea had just come to her.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there's a quest I discovered yesterday that I would really like to look into."

He blinked at her, struggling to formulate a coherent sentence.

"A..quest?"

Sara nodded casually while brushing her ruffled black dress back down. "Yesterday I was going through the old potion book you found for me. _Potions Mastery_. Remember?"

Israel slowly dipped his chin. "I remember."

"Well, as I was going through it I started finding more and more pages written in a different language. Fictional, probably inspired by Nordic runes or something. It seems the entire second half of the book is written that way." She paused to step down out of his arms. "Just a minute, I'll show you."

Israel blinked again, then sighed inwardly and began fixing his pants as he watched her pull up her menu, her cleavage still heaving, her hips still tantalizingly curvy beneath the black dress.

"You monster," he accused playfully. "You were having fun with me."

She glanced over the side of her menu screen and grinned. "You're not the only one who likes to tease. I did just remember this though, and I'd like to get it done as soon as possible. Who knows when something else will come up to keep us busy."

"Your wish is my command." He sidled over to her and gave her his best puppy dog stare. "Make it up to me tonight?"

She winked at him. "Maybe."

He rested his chin on her shoulder and watched as she sifted through to her quest log.

"Anyway," she continued, "I found an old note stashed in the book, and it turned out to be a quest trigger. Look."

She scrolled through a few long outdated, unfinished quests before selecting the newest one, which had a time stamp from one day ago.

_**Silver Quest: Powerful Potions**_

_Herein is written the truly powerful secrets of alchemical processes. Only the wisest may know of these hidden and guarded things. If you be an alchemist true of heart, seek the Ruins of Yoghur, and speak to Potion Grandmaster Igion for the Inscription Tablet._

Intrigued, Israel lifted his head off Sara's shoulder. "An Inscription Tablet to decipher the language." He looked at her seriously. "I wonder what kind of Potions we're dealing with if Kayaba felt the need to hide them away behind a Quest. And a Silver one at that!"

She nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking. And since this is a Silver, that means no one else of the original ten thousand players ever managed to do this. These recipes have never been discovered."

Excitement began to course through Israel's veins. He met Sara's eyes.

"This could be huge. The recipes you already had access to have proven quite valuable. Who knows what kind of potions you could be about to get your hands on." He grinned proudly at her. "As if you needed another boost in power. Sara, you're about to become OP."

She laughed. "Please, I can't even use a sword. Which is exactly why I'd like to ask you to come with me- please. Silver Quest most likely means Boss fight, and that's hardly something I can handle alone."

Israel arched an eyebrow at her. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think you could take on any Boss- Floor Bosses included- without breaking a sweat if you really felt like it."

He meant it, and he let his face tell her so.

Sara blushed and smiled wide at him before punching his shoulder and glancing down.

"Stop it. You're just asking to be kissed right now."

"Wouldn't say no to one. Or two." He chuckled and nodded. "But I will absolutely come with you if you want the help. We've been cooped up around here for too two of us on a jaunt through the wilderness sounds like fun. It'll be like the old days."

"Thank you." She treated him to a particularly high quality kiss, then broke away to invite him to her party.

_Would you like to join __**Sara**_'_s Party?_

_NOTE: This Player is currently on an active Quest that will be added to your Quest Log if you accept_

_Yes/No_

Israel accepted the invite and made sure Powerful Potions was the only active quest in his log before swiping the screen aside in order to reach his world map. He looked up the Ruins of Yoghur in his search bar, but nothing came up. Just to be sure, he removed all filters, including allowing every single Floor of Aincrad in his search. Still nothing.

He shook his head. "I don't have the location."

"I do. Or close to it, at least."

A small message popped up in his vision, informing him that Sara wanted to share Map Information. He hit the Accept button and, immediately, his map jumped out of focus, widened, and began dropping through Floors of its own accord. He caught quick glimpses of several areas he remembered from the past; half a dozen different forests he had fought in, small NPC villages, river crossings, a mountain range or two, and one of the only Dungeons he had ever been in- Brakrun.

Israel shuddered at the memory and quickly focused his attention back to following the places the map was going through. Another moment, and it stopped in the center right quadrant of Floor 51, where a massive valley surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges cut through the earth. The fog of war covered all but the entrance to the valley, with the fringe of Sara's Map Information just barely cutting into it, but that was enough for a name to appear: the Yoghur Valley.

Israel turned to Sara. "Been there before?"

She shook her head and pointed over to what looked like a castle keep situated some miles from the valley entrance.

"One of Laughing Coffin's old temporary bases. PoH liked the place because it wasn't a Dungeon, just an abandoned castle, so no players had a reason to go there. I spent time gathering herbs for potions around the area, and went far enough afield that my map updated with the Ruins. Lucky break for us."

Israel nodded. "Yeah, but it looks like we'll still have quite a lot of walking to do. From the castle to the valley entrance looks like about five miles, and the valley itself looks somewhere around another twenty."

"We need to stock up for the hike. I'll pack extra healing potions, and a few special ones just in case. A few teleport crystals from the storage room wouldn't hurt either."

"Want me to get anything?"

"Just make sure you bring good travel boots."

He glanced down at his hip. "I'd settle for a sword. I miss Apocalypse."

"What happened to the one you bought in Garnet?"

"It broke on its first day out during the battle with the plant Boss." Israel shook his head. "I suppose I should be grateful I still have the Fist of Fariel, at least."

Sara was already going through the potions in her brown leather satchel, but she shrugged and replied, "yes, but sword and fist together is kind of your fighting style. You should have one with you. Why not message Vivienne real quick? Ask if you can borrow one of the spares she keeps in her and Jae's room."

"Good idea. Even one of her old ones should be better quality than the common weapons they sell at the smithy."

Israel quickly brought up his friend's list and selected Vivienne's name for the message.

While waiting for her reply, he walked over to the kitchen and packed some dried meat, bread, and cheese in his inventory for them to eat later. With the walk they had ahead of them, they probably wouldn't be getting back home until dark.

Vivienne soon replied back that he could take whichever sword he liked, but that she didn't specialize in straight swords so much. He didn't mind- just having a blade in hand was enough for him.

Vivienne then sent a second message asking where they were off too. Israel filled her in, and assured her that they would be careful and well prepared. He then went down the hall to her and Jae's room and spent a few moments looking through the small arsenal of weapons in Vivienne's closet. All of her swords followed in the pattern of single edged slashing weapons; sabers, kopis blades, falcatas, and the like, which made it difficult to choose. Israel both preferred and had far more experience with double edged straight swords.

Nevertheless, a weapon was a weapon, and after a few minutes he picked out one: a long falchion, single edged and almost completely straight save for a slight forward curve halfway up the blade that made for powerful overhead blows. It was an uncommon weapon, so the stats were better than the common sword he had had, but not by much. The total durability was also less than he would've liked.

_Hardly a legendary weapon, but it'll have to do._

He equipped the falchion and sheath to his belt, followed by the steel gauntlet of the Fist of Fariel on his right hand and forearm, then returned to the living room to find Sara waiting at the door. Clad in the travel variant of her form fitting black dress, with her long silver hair cascading down around her and her brown leather satchel slung over a shoulder, she was beautiful as ever.

"Got everything?" she asked as he closed the distance.

Israel nodded and rested a hand on the pommel of his new falchion. "This should serve for now. Let's get that Inscription Tablet."

She opened the front door for them and stepped out, taking a deep breath of the fresh outside air.

"It's been awhile since we've gone adventuring," she observed. "I almost forgot Quests were even a thing."

Israel chuckled. "Same here. Let's hope we get some excitement out of this one."


End file.
